12 Days of Christmas

People

1. See the Living Nativity

Live sheep, donkeys and camels will return for the 51st annual Living Nativity at Mountain Brook Baptist Church.

The event began in 1963 and has become a tradition for many Mountain Brook residents. The participants act out the second chapter of Luke while a recorded narration is playing. Dotson Nelson, a preacher at MBBC in the 1970s, performed the narration that is still used today.

This year’s Living Nativity will take place on Dec. 21, 22 and 23 at 6:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. 

2. Hear angelic voices

The Birmingham Boys Choir is presenting its 37th Annual Christmas Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Canterbury United Methodist Church.

The choir is composed of boys ages 7-17 from the Birmingham area.

The Birmingham Boys Choir was incorporated in 1973, and Ken Berg has served as choirmaster since 1978. Its purpose is to allow talented young men in the Birmingham area to express themselves while learning more about the discipline of music. They hold auditions year round and host enrollment in January and July. 

For more, visit birminghamboyschoir.com.

3. Find the twinkle of the Bromberg’s Tree

Every year since 2006, Ricky Bromberg begins negotiations in July to guarantee that a 25-foot Christmas tree is delivered to the front of Bromberg’s in Mountain Brook Village by Thanksgiving.

The tree is so large that a crane has to be used to install it, and it is lit as soon afterward as possible.

The tree stands out from the other white lights Mountain Brook Village. Not only are they mostly colored lights, but there are also approximately 30,000 of them.

 “I think most people assume we’ve been doing it for a longer time than we have just because it’s such a natural fit for the village,” Bromberg said. “You wouldn’t believe the number of conversations I’ve had over the years about trying to get it just right.”

4. See The Nutcracker

The Sugar Plum Fairy in the Birmingham Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker is often played by a professional dancer, but this month it will be a high school junior, Mountain Brook’s Elizabeth Lindsey. 

When she played Clara in 2010 and 2011, Elizabeth’s favorite part of the role was dancing with the Nutcracker prince, and this year she is looking forward to performing with him again in a more skilled partner dance.

“It’s been stressful but a good kind of stressful,” she said of her new role. “There are a lot of people looking up to you and watching your every move.”

To prepare for Sugar Plum, Elizabeth often rehearses one-on-one with her ballet director and is learning to focus more on artistry and her upper body, as she also did this summer while studying at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow.

She also said she is working to develop a character and build up a regal aura.

Elizabeth went to see The Nutcracker every year growing up and wanted to play Clara since she was 3, but her sport of choice until age 10 was soccer. Six years ago she decided to turn in her soccer balls for ballet shoes.

The years Elizabeth played Clara another student was Sugar Plum, and Elizabeth remembers really looking up to her.

“I hope I can do what she did,” she said.

Birmingham Ballet’s productions of The Nutcracker are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m. at the BJCC. The Mutt-cracker, a version of The Nutcracker that incorporates dog performances, will be held Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the BJCC and benefits the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. For tickets or more information, visit birminghamballet.com.

-Written by Madoline Markham

5. Watch A Christmas Carol

Canterbury United Methodist is putting on its version of this Charles Dickens classic on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m.

The show tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation following visits by the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come.

The Canterbury production is by Dr. Bill Bugg, a Birmingham native and founding director of Samford Operaworks. Bugg’s vocal performances have included Vienna, London, and three appearances at Carnegie Hall. The show is recommended for ages third grade and up with parents. 

For more, visit canterburyumc.org.

6. Take a nighttime safari

The Birmingham Zoo’s annual Zoolight Safari will run each weekend through the month of December from 5-9 p.m.

The event will feature Candy Cane Train rides, a Jingle Bell Carousel, a Holiday Hayride and other festivities. A 30-foot tree is lit with a ceremony each night at 5 p.m. 

Photos with Santa will also be available through Dec. 23.

The zoo is also offering a new Yuletide Slide on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The inner tube ride spans more than 100 feet. Children must be 36 inches to ride, and it costs $2.50 per ride or $6 for an unlimited wristband.

Zoolight entry fees are $8 for nonmembers and free for members. Ride tickets are $3.50 each or $10 for an unlimited attraction wristband.

For more information, visit birminghamzoo.com.

7. Send a letter to Santa

Children can send their wish lists straight from Mountain Brook Village to the North Pole this year. Santa Mailboxes will be set up throughout the village starting the week of Thanksgiving.

The letters will be delivered to Santa, who then responds to every child — as long as they aren’t on the naughty list.  

Mailboxes are located outside RealtySouth, outside Gilchrist, at the post office near Western Supermarket and at the intersection of Canterbury Road and Petticoat Lane.

These mailboxes are an annual Mountain Brook tradition provided through a special collaboration between Mountain Brook Public Works employees and Santa Claus.

8. Shop during an open house

Check items off your holiday shopping list during of the villages’ open houses hosted by the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

Merchants will offer specials during the day and will extend their normal business hours into the evening. Each village will put on festivities that are unique to its shops. 

Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce Director Suzan Doidge encourages residents to congregate with friends from the community and keep tax dollars in Mountain Brook. 

Crestline held its open house Nov. 20, and the others are scheduled for December.

Wednesday, Dec. 3: English Village

Thursday, Dec. 4: Mountain Brook Village

Tuesday, Dec. 9: Cahaba Village

9. Buy greenery at the gardens

The Red Mountain Garden Club will host its annual Greenery Sale on Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. 

Proceeds from the sale benefit the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Museum of Art and other civic endeavors throughout the city. 

Fresh-cut greenery such as hemlock, pine, Fraser fir and magnolia can be purchased as well as wreaths in different sizes. Members also construct handmade kissing balls, topiary trees and table arrangements that will be sold. 

For a special treat, club members create arrangements for mailboxes. Unusual ribbons, bows and unique gift items are available to complete holiday decorating and gift-giving orders.

Presale order forms for some of the items can be found on the Red Mountain Garden Club website, redmountaingardenclub.com.

10. Take a home tour

In its 65th year, the Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) Holiday House Tour has long been part of Birmingham’s holiday festivities. This year, three homes in Mountain Brook along with two in Forest Park will be featured Dec. 13-14.

Tickets include access to all five tour homes and also help fund the Summer Learning Program (SLP) at the Children’s Fresh Air Farm, a mission for IPC since its inception in 1923. 

The Summer Learning Program costs $150,000 and uses the funds to address challenges faced by disadvantaged children, including summer learning loss and nutritional deficiencies. The program nurtures approximately 80 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders with a mixture of academics, enrichment, physical education and spiritual development. 

2014 tour chairmen are Margaret Shuttlesworth and Sarah Duggan.  

Homes featured this year are:

Jason Turner and Robert Listerman, 3924 10th Ave. S.

Melissa Singleton, 4001 10th Ave. S.

Joey Pierson, 3242 Salisbury Road

Ragan and Brad Cain, 3031 Canterbury Road

Stewart Perry (Construction), 4855 Overton Road 

Tickets are $25 presale and $30 at the door. They go on sale beginning Dec. 1 and can be purchased by calling the church at 933-1830, visiting ipc-usa.org or stopping by the church reception desk during business hours. Tickets may also be purchased at the homes and at the church during the tour. Shuttle parking for the homes in the English Village area will be available at the Junior League of Birmingham building located at 2212 20th Ave. S.

11. Visit Santa on the Circle

Santa, complete with his sleigh and reindeer, returns to the Circle on Clarendon Road each year.

Two years ago, the 80-foot pine tree that held the sleigh and reindeer was removed, and a pole was put up in its place. 

The spot has been a favorite for photos for years.

12. Eat breakfast with Santa

Santa will visit the Birmingham Zoo on Saturdays, Dec. 6, 13 and 20. 

Scrambled eggs and sausage are served at the Kudzoo Café followed by a visit from Saint Nick. Children will also receive a treat on their arrival.

Tickets must be purchased in advance, and dates fill up. For tickets, visit birminghamzoo.com/events/.