Much as I hate to wreck my own cool, I will freely admit to being a gigantic Christmas geek. While I won’t watch every Christmas movie out there, it’s a safe bet Scrooged, Prancer, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street (the original) and It’s a Wonderful Life will all get at least one airing each at my house. I will read the Dickens. I will put on the music. I will wear the hat.

The best part about the holiday season, however, is the opportunity to go out and participate in events around town, and Athens is a great town for it. There is always something going on and everything is within short driving or walking distance. If you can, go see the parade and check out the Athens Symphony and Chorus’ Christmas concert. And check out some of the fine fare appearing in the theaters around town during this busy month.

Christmas Past: Rose of Athens Theatre presents the timeless story of an unfeeling plutocrat with minimal people skills and a Draconian attitude toward the poor who is shown the error of his ways at the end of the year. No, it’s not The Mitt Romney Story.

It’s A Christmas Carol, Shannon Rood’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ anti-Objectivist holiday classic, as part of The Rose’s second annual Yuletide Celebration at the Seney-Stovall Chapel Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 6–8. Directed by Cindy Nason and with the always excellent Allen Rowell as Ebenezer Scrooge, this promises to be a great show. Guests are encouraged to come early, as there will be games and craft activities for the kids and hot chocolate. Mmmm… hot chocolate…

Showtimes are 7 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for students 13 and older and $8 for 12 and under, and may be purchased in advance at www.athensmusic.net or by calling 706-340-9181.

Speaking of Classics: The Town & Gown Players will revive the perennial favorite Pippin for Athens audiences Dec. 7–9 & 13–16. For those unfamiliar with Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson’s Tony-winning 1972 musical, it’s the story of the son of Charlemagne, who sets out to discover his own destiny. In an interesting conceit, the story is performed by an Acting Troupe led by a Leading Player—that is to say, it’s a play within a play, done by actors playing actors. Pippin has an unusual pedigree, being both originally directed by the late Bob Fosse, with all of Fosse’s signature raciness, and a favorite since of high-school drama clubs. This means that there is a tame and a not-so-tame way of doing this play. Knowing director G. Derek Adams’ track record, I’m willing to bet that this show is on the not-so-tame side.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday & Saturday, Dec. 7 & 8, and Thursday–Saturday, Dec. 13–15, and 2 p.m. for Sunday, Dec. 9 & 16. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and students for Friday and Saturday evening performances. All other performances are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. Tickets can be bought in advance at www.showclix.com/events/14009 or purchased the night of the show.

This Old House: The Circle Ensemble Theatre Company announces its partnership with The Athens Historic House Museum Association in presenting the 2012 Holiday Spirits Museum Theatre Tour on Saturday, Dec. 8. Basically, the deal is this: the Athens Welcome Center will take folks on a guided tour of the Church-Waddell-Brumby House, the TRR Cobb House, the Taylor-Grady House and the Ware-Lyndon House, with short dramatic performances along the way, including a staging of a new piece called Please, Uncle Peter at Ware-Lyndon. Refreshments will be supplied by the Junior League of Athens. This actually sounds cool in the Norman Rockwell sort of way we all feel around the holidays, and it’s nice to occasionally take a rediscovery tour of your own town. Each two-hour tour begins at 5, 6 & 7 p.m. in the Ware-Lyndon parking lot and is $25 for adults, $15 for kids 12 and under. For more information or reservations, call the Athens Welcome Center at 706-353-1820 or go to www.athensclarkeheritagefoundation.bigcartel.com.

The Jets vs. The Sharks: The current touring company of West Side Story is making a whistle-stop at the Classic Center on Monday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The 1957 musical by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins is pretty much encoded into our collective national DNA—everybody knows some part of the score, knows that it adapts Romeo and Juliet onto the streets of 1950s New York City, has seen the movie with Natalie Wood or at least knows that the street gang with superior choreography always wins. In any case, if we were choosing The Great American Musical, West Side Story would be a serious contender. Tickets range from $15–70 and are available at www.classiccenter.com/theatre.