❄️ Holiday markets, Dickens classics, and winter lights | Things to do

Days after the year’s first snowstorm in Philly, there seems to be a clearer and sunnier path toward the holidays.

While there’s less snow and slush than in previous years, the Christmas spirit is still filling the air. There’s also a bevy of holiday-themed events worth adding to your to-do list, too.

For the final newsletter entry of 2025, I wanted to leave you with a thoughtful gift. Untie the invisible bow that adorns this week’s edition of Things to Do, and feast your eyes on the musicals, concerts, and pop-ups happening this weekend. I hope you enjoy.

— Earl Hopkins (@earlhopkins_, Email me at thingstodo@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Since Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was first published on Dec. 19, 1843, the story of three ghosts haunting the wealthy Ebenezer Scrooge to save his soul has remained a Christmas classic.

The book was so popular, the first printing sold out before Christmas Eve, and the haunting narrative was adapted for the stage just a year after its release.

The work of the English novelist has drawn countless theater productions, and there are currently several actively running in the Philadelphia region. There are productions at Walnut Street Theatre, New Hope Arts Center, the Lantern Theater Company, and at People’s Light in Malvern running until Jan. 4.

Read more about the slew of productions here.

🎶 An operatic return: Opera Philadelphia returns to the Kimmel Center from Friday to Sunday for three performances of The Seasons, a reimagining of Antonio Vivaldi’s string masterpiece, The Four Seasons.

🎁From Center City’s Christmas Village and Dilworth Park’s Made in Philadelphia market to Bucks County’s Peddler’s Village and Bethlehem’s iconic Christkindlmarkt, these holiday markets are worth a look before they close.

🎅🏼 Frightful festivities: Join the annual foray into Christmas fright at PhilaMOCA on Friday. The showroom will screen a 16 mm horror double feature and holiday-themed shorts, plus a potluck of assorted foods, snacks, beverages, and desserts.

🎄 Let your creativity shine this Christmas: Get crafty in the days leading up to Christmas. Historic St. George’s Museum & Archives invites community members to make Victorian ornaments, wax seals, and holiday cards on Saturday.

🎭 A momentous play at the Ardmore: The Mountain Top, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall, is a reimagining of the night Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famed (and final) speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” The play will be running at Ardmore through Sunday.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Pancakes & Booze at Underground Arts and Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at the Walnut Street Theatre.

Our pop music critic Dan DeLuca drops his 10 best pop albums of 2025, and it’s a list driven less by hype than by heart. From Tyler Childers’ soul-baring Snipe Hunter at No. 1 to bold turns by Rosalía, Geese, PinkPantheress, and Philly’s own Florry, these are records built on storytelling, risk-taking, and songs that reward close listening. Bonus: There’s a Spotify playlist at the bottom if you want to sample before committing.

🏮Don’t miss the Wanamaker Light Show: The holiday tradition, which dates back to 1956, will feature thousands of dancing snowmen, candy canes, and the incredible sounds of the Wanamaker Organ through Dec. 24.

🚂 Holiday Garden Railway: The train displays at the Morris Arboretum will be filled with thousands of lights through Dec. 30. The glimmering G-scale mini locomotives will wind and loop throughout the garden, filling the space with the kind of holiday spirit fit for such a beautiful site.

🩰 Philly’s Nutcracker season is in full swing: There are four versions to choose from — classic Balanchine, a new one-act for little kids, a tap-dancing trip through Paris, and a vibrant Chocolate Ballerina Company twist.

🍿 A child-friendly rendition of a classic fairytale: The Curio Theatre Company invites kids to help shape the pint-sized retelling of Hansel & Gretel Brothers Grimm. Children aged 3—10 can help with pre-show prop-making and in-performance participation from now through Dec. 31.

🚥 An immersive strand of lights: Otherworld Philadelphia’s annual “Magic of the Willow” is back with immersive sights and shows that incorporate 600 strands of LEDs and music from now through Jan. 4.

While our good friend Dan Deluca is out this week for the holidays, here’s a short list of the top concerts this weekend.

🎸 Thursday: Allen Stone and Ripe take the stage at the Filmore Philadelphia for the “Get Sweet Tour.”

🎤 Friday: Rapper-singer Rod Wave brings his signature melodic heartbreak tunes to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday for the “Redemption Experience Tour.”

🎸 Saturday: The Front Bottoms, an alt-indie rock act out of Woodcliff Lake, NJ, will close out back-to-back “Champagne Jame Nights” at the Fillmore.

🎤 Sunday: Trans-Siberian Orchestra will perform back-to-back shows on Sunday for the metal band’s “The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve” show at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Thanks for reading the final Things to Do entry of 2025. I can’t wait to kick things off in the new year, especially with everything transpiring for the semiquincentennial. Until then, enjoy the holiday with you and yours and see you back in inboxes on Jan. 8.

— Earl