Showstoppers over stocking stuffers

Maybe this is the year you stop gifting your cousin another pair of socks and give those gift cards a miss. The holiday season in Philadelphia comes with a perfect (and varied) soundtrack. Whether you like classical music, jazz, or some good old rotation of seasonal hits, there is a concert in town — waiting to delight you.

Here’s our list, organized by date, of music or dance performances you can gift yourself or loved ones.

Dec. 3-17

Conductor David Charles Abell leads the Pops, several choirs, vocalists Mandy Gonzalez and Jordan Donica, and Santa. It could be your last chance to experience this holiday cracker of a show. The Pops will fold at the end of its 2022-23 season, leaders say, so unless a successor group takes over this format, this is it.

Verizon Hall, phillypops.org, 215-893-1999

Dec. 3

Philadelphia smooth-fi band Work Drugs are practiced hands at spreading cheer with their Christopher Cross and Steely Dan-indebted “cocktails-compatible” indie pop. The band that bills itself as “Philadelphia’s premier Bat Mitzvah and Quinceañera party band” are throwing their 10th holiday shindig, with Tyler Burkhardt and Kyle Sparkman joining them.

8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, johnnybrendas.com

Dec. 4

If the traditional Tchaikovsky music is a Victorian home with a corps of troublesome mice and a trip to candy land, the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn take on this classic is a sophisticated night on the town. The Philly Pops Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia performs the work with artistic director Terell Stafford.

2 p.m. and 7 p.m., World Cafe Live, phillypops.org, 215-222-1400

Dec. 6

String quartet stocking stuffers don’t come any cheaper than at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society’s “$10 Day,” this year held on Dec. 6. Choose from 10 concerts — vocal recitals as well as other chamber music — on sale one day only.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 215-569-8080, and at pcmsconcerts.org from 5 to 8 p.m.

Dec. 8-23

No area venue can compete with the Sellersville Theater in Bucks County when it comes to the Christmas spirit. There are an abundance of holiday show options including Bill Kirchen’s Honky Tonk Holiday with Beats Walkin’ on Dec. 8, Mary Fahl: Wintersongs Holiday Show on Dec. 10, Annie Haslam & Friends on Dec. 17, The Cowsills Family Christmas on Dec. 18, Slambovian Circus of Dreams on Dec. 23, and more. Not to mention free movie screenings of Elf and It’s a Wonderful Life.

Sellersville Theater, st94.com

Dec. 9-28

Legally, it’s called George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®. Tchaikovsky may not get a registered trademark, but it is his contribution to the piece that makes you leave the theater humming. Happily, Philadelphia Ballet’s annual production is danced live to the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra with conductor Beatrice Jona Affron, and it’s a treat no one should take for granted. You can even close your eyes here and there to focus on a score that somehow emerges freshly exquisite every year.

Academy of Music, philadelphiaballet.org, 215-893-1999

Dec. 11

What’s Christmas without tubas? This play-in of tuba players — both professional and amateur — has become a joyous, quirky tradition across the U.S. and elsewhere.

Kimmel Center, noon and 6 p.m. www.kimmelculturalcampus.org, tubachristmas.com, 215-893-1999

Dec. 11

Some Christmas treats you see, others you taste and smell. This one rumbles through your body. The 2022 “Christmas in the Grand Tradition Concert” features organist Peter Richard Conte, and it’s free.

Macy’s, 13th and Chestnut Streets. 6:30 p.m., wanamakerorgan.com, 484-684-7250

Dec. 12

It’s not a holiday show per se, but it is the annual pop radio multi-act tour presented by WIOQ-FM (102.1) that comes to South Philly every December. This year’s lineup is headed up by British crooner Sam Smith, who will be joined by Kim Petras, his “Unholy” duet partner, plus Charlie Puth, Khalid, AJR, Tate McCrae, Lauv, and others.

Wells Fargo Center, livenation.com

Dec. 13

Interdenominational and intergenerational, this event is “definitely built around bringing the sacred back to Christmas,” says J. Donald Dumpson, creator and director of this annual performance at the Verizon Hall. Artistic forces include numerous choirs, organ, praise dancers, and others. “For me personally the concert inspires goodwill and an abundance of love,” says Dumpson. “We leave uplifted!”

7:30 p.m. kimmelculturalcampus.org, 215-893-1999

Dec. 15

In 2020, Jon Pritchard put together a Bandcamp compilation of Philadelphia indie acts like Stereo League and Madalean Gauze playing Christmas songs for charity. Since then, a show gathering of the contributors has become an annual tradition. This year’s musical merrymaking benefits Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Underground Arts. undergroundarts.org

Dec. 21

Samara Joy is one of the new Gen Z faces of jazz. The 22-year-old vocalist — who’s up for a best new artist Grammy — released her debut album, Linger Awhile, evoking Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, earlier this year. She has followed it up with a holiday song, “Warm In December,” and this show will mix standards and seasonal songs.

Ardmore Music Hall, ardmoremusichall.com

Dec. 21-23

Conductor William Eddins, who made an impressive Philadelphia Orchestra subscription concert debut a few months ago, leads the orchestra, baritone Norman Garrett, and Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia in mostly traditional tunes. With speaker Charlotte Blake Alston.

7 p.m. in Verizon Hall, philorch.org, 215-893-1999

Dec. 31

End this ridiculous year with something sublime. Bach’s group of cantatas known collectively as Weihnachts-Oratorium features Choral Arts Philadelphia, soloists, and the Philadelphia Bach Collegium baroque orchestra, led by Matthew Glandorf.

4 p.m., Episcopal Cathedral, 19 S. 38th St., choralarts.com