I was woken up late last night by the hooting of two owls somewhere outside of my bedroom. Despite my fairly new fascination with birdwatching, this was not the gift I was hoping for, as I was still recovering from the shock of some loved ones being in a car wreck earlier that day (they’re fine, just a bit banged up), and generally depressed about the world at large. Plus I knew there would be a battle brewing soon between myself and one of my cats, who likes to strut around the backyard as her bathroom spot and early morning stretch zone, and is very vocal about her desire to do so at the most unreasonable pre-dawn hours. I wasn’t about to let her and her sister out to tangle with the hooters and possibly rejoin the food chain in a gruesome way. The owl is often depicted, the world around, as a creature of death and wisdom, from the myth of the soon-to-be deceased person hearing their name in its call, to the image of Pallas Athena with her famous companion owl, second only in related feathered fame to Poe’s raven, who perches on her pallid stone bust to preach the horrifying gospel of eternal loss to the poem’s narrator. These are not comforts in the late hours, any more than the waking daily nightmare of what our tax dollars and weapons have been doing to the people of the land of the Nativity. It seems pathetic to say it from the relative safety and comfort of my position, but it feels like a Blue Christmas is brewing.
That’s fine, we can still find love and contemplation in the middle of bloody dread and somber times. Humans are inscrutable in that way, capable of great passions for love and destruction. To quote St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the 12th century Cistercian mystic, “I love simply because I love, and I love in order to love.” This, from a man who was one of the prime proponents of the Second Crusade. As far as a species goes, humans are infuriating in our dualities and the squared circles of our contradictions. Horror, death and wisdom, and all the other ways we interpret the hooting in the darkness. Whoooo are we really?
Thursday
Here’s a thought: Try starting your long solstice weekend off with some free jazz. Not free in the sense of genre, but a no-cover show at the Basement at 7:30 p.m., with fusion group HDMB Jazz.
Friday
Tomáseen Foley’s “A Celtic Christmas” is on the program tonight at the Van Duzer Theatre at 7 p.m. ($25-$50). Now in its 29th year of production, this mix of storytelling, music and dance evokes the mid-20th century bygone days of holiday celebration as experienced by the people of Western Ireland. Enjoy the folklore and fun from a time before mass entertainment, and a place steeped in a rich celebration of the Nativity. At the same hour across the safety corridor, Synapsis is kicking off its 20th anniversary weekend celebration with a dance party show of Balkan music, courtesy of Chubritza. No set price or tickets for this event, but donations are welcome and will be collected at the door.
Saturday, Winter Solstice
Here’s a trio of ways to celebrate the longest night of the year, laid out in chronological form for your discernment. At the Arcata Playhouse at 7 p.m., singer and trombonist James Zeller presents the music of Chet Baker (and other Capricorns). He will be joined by his usual cadre of talented cats, Gabe Lubowe, Danny Gaon and Ramsey Isaacs. This is a Sanctuary Production, so a piece of the pie will likely be going toward the restoration of that wonderful spot, which many of you may remember was de-roofed by one of our fiercer recent storms. Tickets are a sliding scale $15-$20 and can be purchased at sanctuaryarcata.org. I suggest you dig deep if you would like to see the beloved venue back in performance shape again.
At 8:30 p.m. at Humbrews, you can get a little ska in your evening with Tucson, Arizona’s Warsaw Poland Bros, a musical crossbreed of dub, ska, Celtic punk and more. Joining these energetic road dawgs will be our own local favorite ska act, Checkered Past ($10).
And finally at the Miniplex at 9 p.m., former local hero Tabor Mountain will be back to wear your funky backends down to eraser nubs. Also on the bill is a great companion band, Portland, Oregon’s Dancing Plague, a more gothy and darkwave groove machine. This one’s priced the same as the previous gig, so bring at least a sawbuck for the door.
Sunday
North Coast Dance presents its final performance for the year of The Nutcracker, with a matinee at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts today at 2 p.m. I can’t imagine there’s much I need to add to sell this holiday classic to you, or fill in some unknown piece of information about what is arguably the most famous ballet production in America. So instead, I’ll just mention that the pricing structure is as follows: $15-$30 for children, $25-$40 for adults.
Monday
If you’re looking for a break from the more traditional seasonal festivities, head over to the Eureka Veterans Hall at 8 p.m. for the 665th Annual Krampus Ball, presented by Spacial Supplication Universal productions. $5 gets you in the door, where you will be (presumably) entertained by what the press releases are calling “Bass-powered, festive Gooch Music.” There will also be a variety of masks available from Da’Glunt Masks. I dunno, sounds like a fine time for those who like this kind of thing.
Christmas Eve
Is the world’s tallest living Christmas tree actually at Sequoia Park Zoo, or have the folks running the Skunk Train down Mendocino way managed to capture that distinction? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. However, as Humboldt is my beat, I’m going to suggest a trip over to the zoo between 5 and 8 p.m. to check out the festive lights, and appreciate some illumination above and around us in the midst of darkness. Tickets will run you $4 for each light gazer in your crew.
Christmas, first evening of Hanukkah
For those who celebrate the holidays, you don’t need any further info from me about what to do. For those of you with an outsider’s take on the season, Savage Henry Comedy Club presents a free Xmas Open Mic, where you can spit out your hot takes about whatever’s cracking your nuts.
Collin Yeo (he/him) wishes you all a very lovely whatever it is you choose to lighten up the winter. He lives in Arcata.
This article appears in ‘A Big Heart’.