Local legend holds that Papa Noel's route to the bayou is shown by the series of BONFIRES erected along the Mississippi River, with each town holding its own event on Christmas Eve. While children delight in giving Santa an assist, adults enjoy the bonfires as a revered holiday tradition that works as community celebration, family fun and a place for authentic Christmas cheer. The lighting of these bonfires, which require months of planning and work to coordinate, culminates into a festive atmosphere with a small-town charm still shining through from its rural roots. Favorite destinations include Destrehan and Luling among many others (with Algiers' bonfire already set ablaze on Dec. 14). You can, of course, drive yourself along each bank of the river to see the bonfires on the levees; just travel River Road going upriver on either bank of the Mississippi. Looking for something a little less claustrophobic than loading up the family roadster? New Orleans Tours offers a buffet complete with Creole and Cajun foods in a tour that departs from downtown and Metairie hotels on Christmas Eve (Tuesday) at 3:30 p.m. to drive to various bonfires. The tours end by 9:30 p.m. For reservations or more info, call 592-0560 or visit www.bigeasy.com. A river cruise is another popular way to take in the bonfires. On Christmas Eve, the paddlewheel Creole Queen and riverboat Cajun Queen both depart from LaSalle's Landing in Kenner's Rivertown area (Williams Boulevard at river), with both boats offering open bars, Creole buffets, visits from Santa and live entertainment. The Creole Queen boards at 1 p.m. and departs at 1:30 p.m.; the Cajun Queen boards at 1:30 p.m. and departs at 2 p.m. Both return around 10 p.m. For reservations or more info, visit www.neworleanspaddlewheels.com or call 524-0814. The Steamboat Natchez also explores the various bonfires, offering a holiday buffet, cocktails and live music. Departing from the Toulouse Street Wharf (behind Jax Brewery on North Peters Street), the Steamboat Natchez boards on Dec. 24 at 6:30 p.m., and returns at 9:30 p.m. For reservations or more info, visit www.steamboatnatchez.com or call 586-8777. -- Frank Etheridge

Snowland 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 21 City Park, Carousel Gardens, 482-4888 It's a sad reality for some locals that the only white Christmas they'll ever enjoy is the one they're dreaming of (in vain). For the past 17 years, City Park has served up the ideal antidote to this holiday malaise with Snowland. The event consists of a three-acre area from the park's Carousel Gardens amusement park along Victory Drive being blanketed with roughly 40 to 60 tons of snowflakes, creating a true winter wonderland among the oaks. Snowland is the perfect chance to build snowmen, squirm out snow angels or just plain frolic. The first 500 children receive free passes for rides in Carousel Gardens (open during the event), with the fares otherwise costing $1 to $3. Free admission. -- Etheridge

Trinity Taize Chamber Ensemble 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22 Trinity Episcopal Church, 1329 Jackson Ave., 670-2520 In terms of a strict definition, taize is a blend of music and meditation with French origins in a religious community that is neither Protestant nor Catholic but definitely Christian with a mystical bent. To Trinity Music Director Albinas Prizgintas, the form is "pretty crazy, pretty out there." Prizgintas also hails it as a spiritual journey through musical improvisation that is found in divergent genius from Johann Sebastian Bach to Jimi Hendrix. Traize "is where the music is inseparable from what you're searching for, and the music is the divine presence," Prizgintas says. On Sunday he leads an ensemble of classical music instrumentation, having written most of the arrangements himself while also adding an element of dance as well, with the elaborate candlelight requisite to traize being lit and maintained by a dancer. Free admission. -- Etheridge

The Shim Sham Revue presents "The 12 Dames of Christmas" 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22 Shim Sham Club, 615 Toulouse St., 299-0666 Christmas is a time for family, friends and food. But for those who have grown weary of so much holiday wholesomeness, the Shim Sham Revue has a special holiday pageant to lift your spirits. Starring the infamous Southern Jeze-Belles, "The 12 Dames of Christmas" features a series of holiday-themed numbers in lieu of the burlesque company's usual theatrics. Ushered on and off stage by host Joe E. Merlot, the girls dance, sing and strip-tease through sparkling, candy-striped scenes of New Orleans-style cheer. With names like Lina Chaste, D.D. Delight and Fanny N. Flames, the Jeze-Belles hearken to Bourbon Street's burlesque heyday, and the show includes the traditional costumes and music to go with it. Torch vocalist Becky Allen fronts the Shim Sham Revue band. Led by drummer Ronnie Magri, the band has perfected its classy-yet-sleazy sound for number after number of sexy Paris-meets-Vegas show tunes. Tickets $17 in advance, $20 at the door. Tables available. -- Cristina Diettinger

Crown Royal Lyricist Lounge Tour 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE The legendary Lyricist Lounge tour promises to bring the cream of underground hip-hop talent each year, so local alt-hip-hop fans were understandably disappointed when this fall's run was cancelled without explanation. For its second try this year, the Lounge is coming around with an almost entirely different lineup. With influential veteran Southern rapper Scarface (of the Geto Boys), EPMD's Erick Sermon, and Wu-Tang associate Killah Priest headlining, the Lounge is looking to its roots for invigoration. Beginning in the early '90s as a series of sporadic events in New York City showcasing regional underground talent, Lyricist Lounge has proved to be one of hip-hop's greatest springboards. The venture yielded an essential compilation in 1998 (Lyricist Lounge, Vol. 1), supported by a legendary mini-tour of release parties. Now an annual tour, the Lounge has exposed such hip-hop moguls as Eminem, the Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Black Star, and Mobb Deep. This year's newcomers include Bless the Nation, Graph, and Poverty, who delivers visceral verses about life on the street. Tickets $25. -- Diettinger

Marva Wright's Christmas Show 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 25 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Marva Wright's Christmas Show on Wednesday at Tipitina's features guest appearances by Davell Crawford, Bo Dollis, Irvin Mayfield, Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and a lot more. Since Marva Wright grew up in singing in church and gospel music was her foundation before she started singing blues and R&B, Christmas is one of Wright's favorite holidays. To commemorate the occasion, she's made Christmas night performances an annual tradition, and invites some of her favorite musical friends to join in the festivities. Wright's special guests this year include Charmaine Neville, Cyril Neville, Davell Crawford, Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen, Irvin Mayfield, Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias, Chucky C & Clearly Blue, Rockin' Dopsie Jr. & and Zydeco Twisters, Les Getrex, Willie Lockett, Henry Butler and more. With Wright's booming voice leading the way, you can guarantee that this won't be a silent night. Tickets $10. -- Scott Jordan

George Porter Jr.'s Birthday Bash 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26 The Howlin' Wolf, 828 S. Peters St., 522-WOLF When you're done celebrating the birth of Christ, celebrate the birth of George -- Porter Jr., that is. The original Meters bass player's annual Howlin' Wolf birthday bash always brings a daisy chain of local funk and soul legends. Porter will lead the charge with his band The Pardners, as his musical friends stream on and off stage throughout the funk-filled night. Birthday jams in past years have included members of the funky Meters, members of the Neville family, and key figures from the Mardi Gras Indian contingent. Porter spent much of this fall touring with all-star blues-rockers Gov't Mule, led by guitarist Warren Haynes. In September, he played a rollicking one-off show at B.B. King's in New York City with Ahmir "?uestlove?" Thompson of the Roots, Ivan Neville, and other jam-scene luminaries. Now off the road, Porter also is playing frequent gigs with the Johnny Vidacovich trio at the Maple Leaf. Admission $10. -- Diettinger

New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars and Egg Yolk Jubilee 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 It was a sad day on the local scene when Egg Yolk Jubilee went on hiatus. The madcap crew could turn any dive in New Orleans into a brass-funk rock circus, complete with freaks. Inevitably, the Ninth Ward-based band's members splintered off this past summer seeking side projects and renewed perspectives. Now, a gig taken for granted as a scene staple is a rare treat. This reunion is bound to include all of the scrambled brass dance tunes, dirges, and epics expected from Egg Yolk, with a few well-chosen covers from the songbooks of Johnny Cash or Frank Sinatra. The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars are also on this raucous double-bill. Promising on-stage antics and post-holiday frenzy, the Klezmers will create their usual multicultural dance party. With licks and tricks from over a decade of existence, their wedding-music-on-acid is sure to amuse and impress. Admission $5. -- Diettinger

Delbert McClinton 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Delbert McClinton lives it down Sunday at House of Blues. His mid-70s honky-tonk, country and blues-infused sides set quite a benchmark, but veteran Texas soul man Delbert McClinton just keeps getting better with age. McClinton practically blew the roof off the Blues Tent with his headline performance at the 2002 Jazz Fest, and his club appearances offer more of the same, with a full horn section adding punch to McClinton's grizzled rasp and huge catalog of rough-and-tumble, often humorous roadhouse rockers. McClinton's a master of the blues couplet, writing endless hooks like "She's livin' it up/ And I'm tryin' to live it down." His new album, Room to Breathe, continues his winning streak, with a full platter of simmering mid-tempo shuffles and funky numbers, not to mention the anthem "Lone Star Blues," which features some of McClinton's friends -- Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell and Marcia Ball -- joining the seasoned vocalist. Mary McBride opens. Tickets $25. -- Jordan

Beverly Morris: Recent Ceramics Through Jan. 2 d.o.c.s. gallery, 709 Camp St., 524-3936 Ceramic artist Beverly Morris is fascinated by clay, a medium that she says has its own "imperfect soul and unmistakable imprint of the artist." She is especially fascinated by clay vessels -- "those forms that simply need to contain for their existence." For her, their significance is best expressed by the African concept of prenda, a ritual in which a shaman places "spiritualizing forces" in a vessel. There he keeps "the cemetery and the forest, the lightning, the sun, moon and stars, all forces in concentration." Morris says she often whispers "a word, a sound or prayer into each piece" as it's finished. In this way, "each becomes a prenda containing the fire of the kiln, the clay of the earth, the breath or prayer contained within ... . These pieces are not imitations of nature but are meant to remind us that we are earthly bound with our feet firmly planted in the ground." -- D. Eric Bookhardt