Boasting what the Washington Post called “fresh, off-kilter elements” and a score that “bubbles with New Orleans shuffle and sass,” the family holiday musical The Happy Elf makes its area debut at Moline's Spotlight Theatre December 6 through 9, its music and lyrics courtesy of none other than Grammy-winning and Tony-nominated music legend Harry Connick Jr.

One of the area's most adored holiday traditions returns to Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 8 and 9 when the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities perform Tchaikovsky's holiday dance classic The Nutcracker, an event boasting new choreography by Artistic Director Courtney Lyon, live musical accompaniment by Orchestra Iowa, and the return of Domingo Rubio, famed for playing the title character in the company's October presentations of Dracula.

Last year, YouTube sensation, America's Got Talent quarter-finalist, and violin virtuoso Lindsey Stirling released the chart-topping holiday album Warmer in the Winter. This year, things are going to get a whole lot hotter when Stirling brings her “Wanderland Tour” to Moline's TaxSlayer Center on December 6 – a night with the artist whom Rolling Stone calls “mesmerizing and emotive” and who currently boasts more than 1.9 billion views on her YouTube channel.

Performing under the direction of Curtis Fischer-Oelschlaeger and accompanied by pianist Marcia Renaud, two dozen of the area's premier vocalists will blend their skills in December 7 and 8 Christmas with the Quad City Singers concerts at Colona's Lavender Crest Winery, with the seasonal repertoire boasting classic and contemporary arrangements for soloists, specific vocal groupings, and the entire ensemble.