area on the weekend of Nov

Through Dec. 1:A visit from Chicago'sJoffrey Balletproves "The Nutcracker" is more than just a show for the little ones. With athleticism and powerful choreography, the production at the Kennedy Center is an awe inspiring spectacle for the chaperones, too.

Thursday Dec. 4, including one topped with turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce on Nov. 27. It'll make you want to give thanks for this strange calendar overlap.

Thursday:It's natural that many bars close on Thanksgiving Day in order to let employees spend the holiday with their loved ones. On tap for the day: last chance fall beers, including Evolution Jacques Au Lantern, Saucony Creek Captain Pumpkin's Maple Mistress and Bruery Autumn Maple.

Through Jan. Botanic Garden lights up its giant Douglas fir and decks its halls with ornaments and bronzed replicas of the city's memorials and monuments. This year, the model Bryan Stork Jersey train will zip around miniature versions of the Eiffel Tower, Unisphere, Ferris wheel and Seattle's Space Needle, an exhibit inspired by wonders created for the world's fairs.

Friday: Black Friday is a shopping nightmare, unless you're a vinyl record collector. This year, there's an unreleased Grateful Dead concert and singles from Tegan and Sara and U2, among others. (Washington Post Express)

Friday:If you missed out on tickets forAnimal Collective'ssold out Dec. 1 concertat the 9:30 Club, you can stillcatch the band DJingat theU Street Music Hallon Friday night. As you might expect for the band's original music, its DJ sets involve sound collages as well as an exquisitely curated selection of electro, dubstep, synth house and whatever else has caught their collective ears. It's not the same as seeing Animal Collective in concert, but it should be rewarding nonetheless and a heck of a party. (Reminder, if you're under 21, you need toget tickets in advance.)

Friday:Alice Smithis one those strong niche artists that fans love to be the first to hip you to. area. This year Smith finally released "She," a much anticipated follow up to her 2006 debut. Back then, she was most conveniently compared to Norah Jones, but in addition to the delicate chanteuse sound, she's now mixing in funk rock and R with some forays into country and blues. Hear for yourself at theHoward Theatre.

Friday Dec. 23:Don't go to the James White Youth Jersey mall on Black Friday. Just don't. Have mercy on yourself and your sanity. Shop daily through Dec.

Friday Jan. 5:Malcolm Jamal James White Kids Jersey Warner of "The Cosby Show" comes to Washington for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," an adaptation of the movie about a white woman in the 1960swhose parents are having a hard time accepting her plans to marry a black man.

Friday Jan. 5:As one of the area's largest holiday light displays, the Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens includes nearly Bryan Stork Womens Jersey one million lights shaped like all manner of flora and fauna. What's that over there? Oh, just an 11 foot tall giraffe made from 9,000 lights.

Saturday:Once Thanksgiving has passed, it's perfectly acceptable to begin listening to Christmas music. Kick off the season atStrathmore, where former Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan singerMichael McDonaldlends his dulcet baritone to a program of original holiday songs, such as the smooth "Every Time Christmas Comes Around," and soulful takes on the classics. He'll also play a few hits from his back catalog if you ask nicely.

Saturday: As part of the shopping and art event Thread, indie rockers The Walkmen headline a concert with Dischord's Sunwolf and DJ Will Eastman at Union Market. (Washington Post Express)