One of the best ways to escape the commercial excess of the holidays is to slip out of the megamall and into a theatre. Groups in almost every genre are laying out the Christmas gifts this year. And if you think it’s still early to deck the halls and be merry and bright, you better dig out the twinkler lights: the first real Yuletide concerts start this weekend. Here’s a quick sampling to get you in the spirit.

THEATRE

The Arts Club Theatre pretty much has the season sewn up, with not one but two nostalgia-drenched shows that will appeal to anyone who has to spin Bing Crosby or check in with Jimmy Stewart on Christmas Eve.

It’s A Wonderful Life
(From Wednesday [December 2] to January 2, 2010, at the Arts Club Granville Island Stage)
Admittedly, badass cocktail haven Pottersville did look a little more fun than Bedford Falls. But director Frank Capra got almost everything else right in his 1946 film, and the Arts Club pays homage to those iconic moments—including a few that truly bring celluloid to vivid life. Dean Paul Gibson directs; Bob Frazer, Bernard Cuffling, and Alec Willows star. (Tickets, 604-687-1644; info, Arts Club)

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
(Until December 27 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Theatre)
This show plays up the kind of vintage charm that makes you long for simpler times—the days before “Jingle Bells” ring tones, last-minute Web shopping, and tofurkey. Song-and-dance numbers like “Happy Holiday”, “Blue Skies”, and “White Christmas” may play even better live than they do in the corny 1954 flick. (Tickets, 604-687-1644; info, Arts Club.)

MUSIC

The city’s rich assortment of seasonal concerts has programming from almost every era, from centuries-old baroque to truly cutting-edge new compositions. How diverse are we talking? Think Haida chants and “Hallelujahs”, tinkling bells and acoustic bass.

Chez Nous: Christmas With Elektra
(Saturday [November 28] at the New Westminster Christian Reformed Church and Ryerson United Church)
There are so many reasons to check out this concert by the Elektra Women’s Choir, we hardly know where to begin. Let’s start with the fact that Vancouver Symphony Orchestra maestro Bramwell Tovey will be sitting at the keyboards, tag-teaming the “four-hand piano” with Stephen Smith. Together, they and the female voices will tackle Welsh composer William Mathias’s Salvator Mundi—a modern setting of seven 15th-to 17th-century carols. But there are other unique touches on the program, too: musician Ed Henderson has created a setting for poet Luci Shaw’s “Star Song”, complete with guitar and acoustic bass; and a new composition by Timothy Corlis calls for 24 hand bells, a children’s choir (Zing! Children’s Choir), and a jazz trio. (Tickets, 604-280-3311; info, www.elektra.ca/.)

A Baroque Christmas
(December 4 at the Orpheum Theatre)
When it comes to baroque choral music, these pieces are the stars on top of the Christmas tree, the icing on the yule log, the ribbon on the… You get the idea. The Vancouver Chamber Choir basks in the beauty of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Beatus vir”, Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Wachet auf”, and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s “Magnificat”. On hand to help, under the baton of conductor and artistic director Jon Washburn: the Pacifica Singers and the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra. (Tickets, 604-280-3311; info, www.vancouverchamberchoir.com/.)

A Traditional Christmas
(December 10 to 12 at St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church; December 13 at the Michael J. Fox Theatre; December 16 at the South Delta Baptist Church; December 17 at the Bell Performing Arts Centre; December 18 at the Centennial Theatre; and December 19 at the Kay Meek Theatre)
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s annual Christmas tradition is all crackling fires, sleigh bells, and mistletoe. Conducted by effervescent assistant conductor Evan Mitchell, it spans carols, sing-alongs, and snippets from classics like George Frederick Handel’s Messiah and Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. But a big part of the draw is always seeing Bard on the Beach’s Christopher Gaze read thoughtful verses about the season. Two choirs, EnChor and the UBC Opera Ensemble, also take part. Mitchell and the gang take the show on the road to almost every outpost of the region. (Tickets, 604-876-3434; info, www.vancouversymphony.ca/.)

Noel
(December 13 at Ryerson United Church; December 15 at West Vancouver United Church; and December 19 at Holy Rosary Cathedral)
Musica intima’s holiday concert is the best of both worlds: rich new compositions meet old favourites. Highlights here are Robert Lucas Pearsall’s arrangement of “In Dulci Jubilo” and Benjamin Britten’s “A Hymn to the Virgin”—the latter one of the composer’s earliest works. An unaccompanied piece for a sea of harmonizing voices, it proves that haunting can work just as well for Christmas as Halloween. (Tickets and info, www.musicaintima.org/.)

Yuletide Fires
(December 18 at St. Andrews-Wesley United Church; December 19 at West Vancouver United Church)
Chor Leoni Men’s Choir offers up an alternative to the usual carol clichés. Check out this program: ancient Haida chants meet newly composed or arranged carols by the likes of locals Jonathan Quick, Stephen Smith, and Larry Nickel. As a bonus, B.C. author Pauline Holdstock (Beyond Measure) reads. (Tickets, 604-280-3311; info, www.chorleoni.org/.)

DANCE

This year there are no visiting toy soldiers and sugarplum fairies from Moscow or Winnipeg or anywhere else; instead, our own sparkling Goh Ballet takes on the Christmas tradition.

The Nutcracker
(December 17 to 20 at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts)
The Goh’s world premiere comes with all the sprinklings. First, there’s a live symphony—the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra—playing Tchaikovsky’s glittering score. National Ballet of Canada dancers perform the lead roles, in choreography by the acclaimed Anna-Marie Holmes, a former Boston Ballet artistic director and current Jacob’s Pillow Dance ballet-program director who’s interpreted the Russian classics around the world. Expect lavish costumes and the kind of sets that will make the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets come alive. (Tickets, 604-280-3311; info, www.gohballet.com/.)