It’s that time of year when our schedules are busy with holiday shopping, decorating and entertaining, and the number of opportunities to go out for some festive family entertainment as well begins to boggle the already tinsel-blinded mind. To help you sort out which ones you want to put on your don’t-miss list, here’s a quick rundown – organized by type, and then chronologically – of some holiday-themed stage productions coming up in the next couple of weeks:
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker
December 9, 10 & 11: Catskill Ballet Theatre of Kingston, featuring guests from Dance Theatre of Harlem. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. $30/$25. Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC), 601 Broadway, Kingston. (845) 339-6088, www.ticketmaster.com.
December 10-11: New Paltz Ballet Theatre, featuring New York City Ballet’s Ask la Cour and Teresa Reichlen. Saturday 2 & 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $32/$29/$27. Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market Street, Poughkeepsie. (845) 473-2072, (845) 339-6088, www.ticketmaster.com.
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
December 2-4: Ulster Ballet Company, directed by Sara Miot. Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday 4 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $15/$18/$22/$25. Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC), 601 Broadway, Kingston. (845) 339-6088, www.ticketmaster.com.
December 3-18: Half Moon Theatre, directed by Michael Schiralli. Fridays 8 p.m., Saturdays 2 & 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $20-$50 Opening Night, $20-$45 evenings, $18-$37 matinées. Marriott Pavilion, Culinary Institute of America, Route 9, Hyde Park. Tickets: www.halfmoontheatre.org; dinner packages: (845) 905-4533, ciarestauarantgroup@culinary.edu.
Handel’s Messiah
December 17: Cappella Festiva, guest conductor Christine Howlett Saturday, 2 p.m. $20-$51. Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market Street, Poughkeepsie. (845) 473-2072, (845) 339-6088, www.ticketmaster.com.
A Christmas Story: The Musical
December 2-11: Woodstock Playhouse Productions/New York Conservatory for the Arts. Fridays/Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $32-$40. Woodstock Playhouse, 103 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock. (845) 679-6900, www.woodstockplayhouse.org.
Every Christmas Story ever Told
December 2-18: Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald & John K. Alvarez. Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays 8 p.m., $39, Sundays 2 p.m., $34, First Saturday 2 p.m., $29. Shadowland Stages, 157 Canal Street, Ellenville. (845) 647-5511, www.shadowlandtheatre.org.
Join the family! 
