Holy holly and hallelujah, Handel! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Let’s be sure to keep the “X” in Xmas. Yes, the holidaze are here. This is also the beginning of the dreaded LDB game. Among my Burning Man pals, we fervently compete to be the last player to accidentally hear the “Little Drummer Boy” carol. The rules are simple: if ever you hear either the lyrics or music to “LDB,” you are disqualified. The winner(s) is whoever lasts AFTER Dec. 25. It’s really a challenge to avoid “LDB” while shopping as Muzak carols blast through the P.A. systems. Winner(s) receives nothing but bragging rights. It’s such fun to hear who got zapped out - and under what conditions.

Here’s some hot stuff to warm your cockles as Jack Frost nips at your nose.

GOLDEN GIRLS: THE CHRISTMAS EPISODES is 6th annual all drag Xmas Ex-drag-a-ganza with DQs Heklina (Dorothy), Cookie Dough (Sophia), Pollo Del Mar (Rose), and Matthew Martin (Blanche). Only 11 performances, Dec.1 - 23, Thurs. Fri. & Sat., 8pm at a new, larger venue – The Victoria Theatre in SF. Opening night is benefit for Project Open Hand, when Fernando & Greg from radio 99.7 will host. Info & tix at trannyshack.com. There is a contest for those who best wear those tacky holiday sweaters. Thank you for being a friend!

DANCE-ALONG NUTCRACKER: CLARA’S MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR celebrates music from San Francisco’s “Summer of Love” era by the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band. Clara’s back, and she’s dancing in tie-dye when the Nutcracker takes her on a psychedelic journey through the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. The wackiest Nutcracker on earth is also a play starring Leigh Crow (the artist formerly known as “Elvis Herselvis”) as the Rat King; Lia Metz (2010 Bijou Cabaret Contest winner and a regular warbler at Martuni’s) as Clara; and Flynn DeMarco (Thrillpeddlers’ horror star) as the Nutcracker. Playing Saturday, Dec.10 (7pm grown-ups only gala); and Sunday, Dec. 11 (11am & 3pm) at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street. Tix and info:
DanceAlongNutcracker.org or box office: (415) 978-ARTS. Dress in ‘60s groovy gear or ballerina costume, because you will want to kick up your heels and dance along to this sweet Suite.

PROJECT NUNWAY is a charity fashion show where Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are paired with designers to develop a look fashioned from recycled materials and making it a “green” affair. Nunway creator, Sister Baba Ganesh, describes Nunway as “a Fellini inspired drag fashion spectacle and holiday tea dance to celebrate the end and the beginning of time.” It is art couture created from recycled and repurposed materials as our way of embracing sustainability and rejecting consumerism. Funds from this holiday fundraiser will go to The Sisters’ general fund that supports our various fundraising and community awareness programs. Haute couture is happening at Beatbox, 11th Street (near Folsom) from 3-9pm. Tickets, available at Ticketfly.com, are $9 advanced, $12 door, & $20 for VIP seating.

Also features a holiday photo booth, raffle, and Club SQRRRL DJs Trevor Sigler and Bill Dupp. A panel of commentators including Mutha Chucka and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's will comment on noteworthy looks. Sister Dana will be one of the models. We better work, bitch!

JOYOUS, JOLLY, JINGLES is the title of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus' annual holiday concert on Dec. 8, 8pm in the magnificent Masonic Auditorium. Make your plans to bring in the holidays with this special performance on Nob Hill featuring breathtaking soprano Melody Moore (SF Opera's “Heart of a Soldier”); the dynamic Velocity Bells hand-bell ensemble; and the Contra Costa Wind Symphony.

The 270-plus singers have been rehearsing, memorizing, learning their choreography, laughing a lot, and even crying a bit at the sheer beauty of the music, which runs the entire gamut of every possible holiday experience – from childhood to adulthood. It will take you on a ride through “holiday memory land” like none before. The challenge thrown down by the Chorus' Music Advisory Committee upon Conductor and Artistic Director Tim Seelig’s arrival was to create a holiday extravaganza that would wrap the audience in the warmth of the familiar while finishing off decorating the package with some new, shiny, and unfamiliar ornaments. Tix and info at sfgmc.org.

SANTA SKIVVIES RUN is Dec.11, beginning and ending at Lookout bar (16th and Market Streets). Ready? Set! Strip! End HIV! Start time is 1pm, registration ($35) from 11am on. Produced by and benefiting San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The route is a spontaneous romp through the Castro district consisting of unplanned twists, turns, stops, and hijinks. All registered runners will receive a stunning Santa hat. Once you cross the finish line, continue the fun at Lookout, the official host for the Santa Skivvies Run. Drink and food specials will be available for participants. Runners receive their own personal fundraising page on the website. Fundraising is optional for all runners, but I encourage creating a fundraising goal to help support SFAF. Wear some red skivvies, Speedos, panties, bra or other undergear. And that Santa hat that you get for registering doesn't hurt either. Streets are not blocked off; however, the sight of a few hundred runners in red underpants can stop traffic! Info and FAQ at greaterthanone.org.

Have ya checked out the official Castro holiday tree with its big ball ornaments? As we all know: Sister Dana likes big balls!!!