Best Bets

Winter Lace, Animals and Brunch.

Hagley Museum and Library showcases handmade 19th- and early 20th-century lace owned by the du Pont family, decorations made from dried fruits, elaborate mantelpiece ornaments, vintage toys, and a Twelfth Night display. This Saturday, families can make Christmas mice and reindeer footprints out of walnuts, while listening to music from the Sanford School, Red Lion Christian Academy, Tatnall School, and Sunday Breakfast Mission choirs. On Sunday, the staff of Belin House Organic Cafe prepares specialty omelets, pumpkin-leek soup, roasted turkey sandwiches, Maryland crab cakes, and warm apple cider.

Francis Dunnery. Dunnery, who earlier this year released the guitar-free and quirky, R&B-infused Made in Space, returns for his annual holiday-season stop at the Tin Angel. From his early days fronting English prog-rockers It Bites to his side work with Robert Plant and Lauryn Hill, Dunnery has built a fervent international fan base, while in recent years becoming something of a "house concert" superstar, too. The 48-year-old musician (currently touring solo) will undoubtedly charm Philly fans with both his impressive playing and his thought-provoking, often-humorous banter on topics ranging from astrology (which he's trained in) to the meaning of meaning.

- Nicole Pensiero

New this week: The Sitter ** (out of four stars) Jonah Hill stars as a layabout suburban nerd who reluctantly agrees to watch three obnoxious kids for the night - and ends up taking them on a wild ride into the big city, where mayhem, menace, and a pileup of profanity ensues. Adventures in Babysitting meets Pineapple Express.

R (profanity, sex, violence, drugs, adult themes)