‘Tis the season for holiday cheer. From live reindeer and martinis & mistletoe to New Year’s Eve celebrations and tours of the Tennessee Residence, these events will leave you feeling festive. Celebrate the holidays with the kiddos at Dickens of a Christmas, or leave them behind and down a glass of bubbly at Acme’s New Year’s Eve Party. Whatever you do, enjoy the final days of 2016 and have a great December!

Through December 31, 2017: Winter Holiday Fest

Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) is hosting its first-ever Winter Holiday Fest. The performing arts will be celebrated through live performances and a free Marketplace event. TPAC’s Winter Holiday Fest offers a wide variety of performances from the Nashville Ballet, Nashville Repertory Theatre, country musicians, comedians, and more. The Marketplace will be held from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 at the War Memorial Auditorium. Local artisan vendors will be selling everything from handmade candles to fabric art. Enjoy live music and specialty food and drinks while shopping! For information and tickets: tpac.org/shows/WinterHolidayFest

Through January 1, 2017: Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood

Enjoy this holiday tradition at Cheekwood! For only the second time ever, the gardens — not just the mansion — will be decorated with elegant displays and one million festive lights (plus Sunday Storytime with Santa and Gingerbread Workshops). Throw on your jacket and stroll the grounds as you celebrate the holiday season. The gardens will be open every night until 10 p.m. (not open Christmas night). cheekwood.org/calendar/holiday-lights

December 1, 7-8, 14-15 and 20-22, 2016: Amy Grant and Vince Gill

Once again, Grammy-winning husband-and-wife team, Amy Grant and Vince Gill, will celebrate Christmas at the Ryman. For eight nights in December, they will sing classic tunes and seasonal hymns at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Get your tickets now and celebrate the season at this annual holiday show. This is a holiday event that you will not want to miss! ryman.com

December 2, 2016: Martinis & Mistletoe

While anyone over 21 is welcome to attend this festive get-together, we have noticed it to be particularly popular for young professionals. Held annually at Cheekwood Botanic Hall, this holiday party features late-night eats, festive cocktails, and live music (plus complimentary access to Cheekwood’s Holiday Lights display). Benefiting the Horticultural Society of Middle Tennessee, Martinis & Mistletoe promises to be a fun-filled evening in support of the magnificent Botanical Garden at Cheekwood. Wear your dancing shoes. Cost is $80 per person. hsmtn.org/martinis

December 2, 2016: Nashville Christmas Tree Lighting

Head to the Public Square downtown to witness the lighting of the Nashville Christmas tree with Mayor Megan Barry. Margo Price will sing alongside the West End United Methodist Church, W.O Smith School of Music and Nashville School of the Arts choirs. This a free event. RSVPs are recommended. nashville.gov

December 2-16, 2016: Tennessee’s Home for the Holidays

Join Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife, Crissy, for the annual Tennessee’s Home for the Holidays open house event held at the Tennessee Residence. The tours are offered each December and this year’s decorations will celebrate “Tennessee Agriculture.” Tennessee’s crops, livestock, forestry and farm products will be showcased throughout the residence. Student participating in agricultural organizations across the state will create ornaments for the trees. www.tn.gov

December 3, 2016: 12South Winter WarmUp

The Annual 12South Winter WarmUp 6K and 12K race starts at Sevier Park at 8 a.m. and takes runners through the streets of 12S. For kiddos, there is a 1K around Sevier Park that will take place before the main race. Children ages 5-13 are welcome! Registration fees range from $30 to $45. The face will be followed by the 12South Winter Warmer, a beer festival in Sevier Park. Beer festival tickets are sold out but you can still signup for the beer ticket/race combo! 12southwinterwarmup.racesonline.com

December 3, 2016: 63rd Annual Nashville Christmas Parade

Gather with friends and family for this Nashville tradition that dates back to 1927. This year Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson will be the parade’s Grand Marshal. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. and will celebrate the theme “The Musical Mile.” nashvillechristmasparade.com

December 3 & 4, 2016: Holiday Lights Carriage Tours

December brings bright and stunning displays of holiday lights. What better way to see the lights and gorgeous homes than to tour the Hillsboro-West End neighborhood via carriage? The Holiday Lights Carriage Tours take you through the heart of this Nashville neighborhood in horse-drawn carriages. Enjoy live music, carols, hot cider, and refreshments during this festive, 30-minute clip-clopping tour. Reserve your tour and be sure to wear your warmest winter attire! Individual tickets are $23 (group tickets are $21 per person for groups of 10). hwen.org/tour

December 3-23, 2016: Nashville’s Nutcracker

Nothing signals the start of the holiday season quite like a day at the ballet with Clara as she ventures through the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets. The Nashville Symphony will perform music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as Nashville Ballet dancers take us into the dreamland we have come to know and love. Whether seeing this iconic, timeless holiday classic for the first time or the hundredth, show-goers will be dazzled and delighted by this unforgettable seasonal performance. Kick off your holiday season with Nashville’s Nutcracker. Tickets start at $28. patron.tpac.org

December 4, 2016: Scratch Made

Scratch Made is The Nashville Food Project holiday marketplace and open house event! Shoppers will find handmade products and home goods including The Nashville Food Project’s herb salts, herbal salves, loose teas, canvas bags, aprons and more. All proceeds will benefit The Nashville Food Project. This event is free! thenashvillefoodproject.org

December 9 & 10, 2016: Dorrance Dance | ETM: Double Down

MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, in collaboration with Nicholas Van Young (STOMP cast member) and Dorrance Dance, upends questions of tap’s cultural relevance through innovative, percussive choreography, and let-it-all-hand-out style and locomotive foot speed in ETM: Double Down. Utilizing wooden floors, traditional instruments and Nicholas Van Young’s award-winning electronic tap dance floors, the entire stage becomes an instrument used to create the music. Tickets are $69. ozartsnashville.org

December 9 & 10, 2016: Porter Flea Holiday Market

Nashville’s favorite holiday shopping tradition is back! The Porter Flea Holiday Market returns in December to showcase hundreds of jury-picked vendors, thousands of the region’s best handmade wares, the city’s finest food trucks and, of course, a surprise or two. Shop pottery by Handmade Studio TN, sweets by Baked in Nashville, furniture by HollerDesign, art by M A J A M A D E, accessories by Seraphine Design, fresh flowers by Amelia’s Flower Truck, apparel by EMLEE Design and so much more. Well-loved vendors return and new vendors make first-time appearances. You’re sure to love them all! In its sixth year, this semi-annual market is a must-attend holiday event! The festivities begin on Friday, December 9, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with the Preview Market, a $25 ticketed event, and continues with on Saturday with the free market. porterflea.com

December 10, 2016: Music City Winterfest

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., shop the holiday market, enjoy live, local music, indulge at food trucks, sip beers at the beer garden and warm up at the s’mores station during Music City Winterfest. This free, family-friendly event will be hosted by the Nashville Scene at Centennial Park. musiccitywinterfest.com

December 10, 2016: Nashville Santa Rampage

Don your Santa suit and head downtown for this Christmas-themed pub crawl. Meet all of your fellow Santas at Public Square Park at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 10 and let the rampage begin. Bring your ID and enough cash to get you through the night. facebook.com/events

December 10 & 11, 2016: Dickens of a Christmas

Held in Historic Downtown Franklin, this free street festival will take you back 150 years to the time of Charles Dickens. It is guaranteed that will you run into characters from Dickens’ stories, including: Ebenezer Scrooge, Marley the Ghost, Tiny Tim, Father Christmas, and more. Stop by from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, or from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday for carriage rides, the holiday bazaar, Victorian eats and treats, and the Town Sing. historicfranklin.com

December 15, 2016: Science of Beer

The Adventure Science Center isn’t just for kids! In fact, for one night this month, it is only for adults. The Annual Science of Beer event offers tastings of more than 70 local and international craft beers and beer-science demonstrations and activities. Tickets are $55 for not-yet-members and includes access to all exhibits and activities, unlimited tastings and a souvenir pint glass. adventuresci.org

December 25, 2016: Christmas Feast at The Salvation Army

On Christmas Day, with the help of volunteers, The Salvation Army expects to serve more than 150 people a traditional turkey dinner. The meals will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 631 Dickerson Pike Center of Hope location. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Misty Ratcliff at (615) 242-0411, or Misty_Ratcliff@uss.salvationarmy.org. salarmy-nashville.org

December 31, 2016: Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville

Ring in the New Year with Keith Urban, STYX, A Thousand Horses, Moon Taxi, Charlie Worsham and The Fisk Jubilee Singers in Music City. This free, New Year’s Eve event features live music, fireworks, confetti cannons and the “Music Note Drop®.” Party with your fellow Nashvillians at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park! visitmusiccity.com/newyearseve

December 31, 2015: Acme’s New Year’s Eve Party

New Year’s Eve at Acme will feature performances by The Gripsweats and Friends and Backup Planet. Additionally, DJs Coach and Rate will host “Way Back, to the Future” on the third floor  — a throwback dance party with music from a different decade every hour. Every floor will have dancing, confetti cannons and plenty of bubbly to go around. General admission tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door and grant access to the whole building, including rooftop! Limited VIP booths are also available for $100 per person. For more information and to buy tickets, visit http://theacmenashville.com/acme-nye-2016/.

December 31, 2016: Intimate Champagne Dinner at City Winery

Pop a few bottles of champagne while enjoying a four-course dinner by City Winery’s Executive Chef Garrett Pittler. The intimate setting is perfect for a New Years Eve date night or quiet evening with friends. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. and will last approximately two hours, giving you just enough time to hit another party and watch the ball drop. Tickets are $100 per person. citywinery.com

For more December events, including many trunk shows and more festive gatherings, be sure to check out our Daily Happenings. Stay tuned for a full listing of NYE events!