The show, which runs through December 30, explores holiday traditions of the Christian and Jewish religions and also those of pagans, Celts, Romans, and the Hopi Indians. In addition, the show discusses winter constellations, the sun’s path across the sky, and various explanations for the Star of Bethlehem.

Those who are familiar with National Public Radio’s news program "All Things Considered" will recognize the distinctive voice of Noah Adams as the narrator. Produced by Loch Ness Productions in Vermont, "Season of Light" is based on a script written by Jim Manning.

Public showings are every Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. There will be weekday shows at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. from Dec. 26 through Dec. 29. Tickets are $2 for adults, $1.50 for senior citizens and children under 12. Friends of the State Museum are admitted for free. Special group showings are available. The State Museum is located on Third Street in Harrisburg. For more information call 787-4978 or visit their website at statemuseumpa.org.

The setting is Christmas of 1844. This year, young novelist Dickens is celebrating the success of his novel with his best friend (and future biographer), John Forster at the Mansion. Forster has invited the most acclaimed actors of the day to perform scenes from "A Christmas Carol." You, along with your family and friends, are summoned as special guests.

An open house with singing and wine tasting begins the show, after which you take a jaunt to the Theatre Room where your hosts, Forster and Dickens, transform themselves into Marley and Scrooge for a hair-raising rendition of the haunting of Scrooge, complete with special-effects lighting and ghostly apparitions. The Spirit of Christmas Past will then guide you to a party at the Fezziwigs, followed by a trip to the Billiards Room for a sampling of Mount Hope’s mulled Holiday Wine, served up hot by Victorian barmaids. Yowzah!

After a visit to the ballroom with the Crachit family, the Spirit of Christmas Present appears. Be prepared! As an audience member, you may be called upon to fill one of the many characters in this scene. To wrap up the Carol, the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come arrives on the scene eager to tell the tale of how Scrooge "knew how to keep Christmas better than any man alive" — a cheerful ending sure to lift your spirits.

"A Charles Dickens Victorian Christmas" is currently running on weekends; performance times vary. Limited weekday matinees are also available. Admission is $15.95 for adults, $7.95 for children 5-11. For more information call 665-7021 ext. 231 or visit parenfaire.com.

Tourbooks, which serve as a ticket to the event and allow access to each site, are available for advance purchase for $12 at the Historic Resource Center, 1230 N. Third Street, Harrisburg, and also at Harriet Too and the Susquehanna Art Museum. Outside of the city, books may be purchased at Jeffrey’s Flowers in Carlisle and Kathie’s Christmas in Camp Hill. On the day of the tour, tourbooks will be available at Lakeside Lutheran Church, Division Street, for $15.

Recognized nationally for their excellence, the Historic Harrisburg Association’s (HHA) tours are some of the oldest of their kind in the region. The HHA is a non-profit, volunteer community organization dedicated to preserving historic landmarks and neighborhoods. They are funded by contributions from members, friends and businesses with additional support coming from the Allied Arts Fund.

Known for their radiant performances and often humorous commentary, the Scholars — who got their name from the original members of the group all winning scholarships to Cambridge University’s King’s College Choir — will impress the audience with centuries old Christmas music and carols, including "Joy to the World," "Greensleeves," and "Deck the Halls."

The Scholars of London have given over 2500 concerts in more than 50 countries, in such famous music places as New York City’s Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Festival Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Possessing the versatility required of great musicians, the Scholars are "just as at home singing honky-tonk and jazz as they are Renaissance chansons."

"Make We Joy, Christmas with the Scholars of London" is the second of four concerts from Music at Gretna’s 2000/2001 Fall/Winter Series. Tickets are $20 and $15. Students get in for half-price and admission for children 12 and under is $1. For tickets and information, call 361-1508.

Taking place in the fervor of the Roaring ’20s, "Chicago" centers on Roxie Hart, a nightclub owner who has grand dreams of starring in vaudeville. Roxie, who is cursed with an unquenchable greedy heart, kills her lover and nightclub regular, Fred Casely. After her husband hires Chicago’s shrewdest lawyer, Billy Flynn, to defend her, Roxie’s crime of passion skyrockets her into celebrity status. She becomes the adoration of the city — until other crimes steal her spotlight.

"Chicago" won a Grammy Award in 1988 and six Tony Awards in 1997 along with numerous other awards, including the 1997 Drama Desk Awards and The New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. John Kander and Fred Ebb, who wrote the music for "Caberet," "Funny Lady," Kramer vs. Kramer, and Places in the Heart, also collaborated to write "Chicago."

Celebrated comedienne Karen Gray will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. She is known locally for her one-women shows at the Whitaker Center ("Swirlies") and Open Stage (Eleven Ex-Boyfriends Defend Their Actions). A five-member panel of judges is comprised of local artisans who include: poet laureate Gene Hosey, Danzante Founding Executive Director Camille Erice, Harrisburg poet Tammie Hurd and York poet Lynn Fetterolf.