I've been trying to pretend that Christmas isn't on the way quite yet, but the Halloween candy displays at my grocery store have already given way to candy canes, plastic wreaths, and gift baskets full of disturbingly shelf-stable meats and cheeses. It's here, folks, and I may as well deal with it. I'm famously grinchy when it comes to the holidays, but I promise that I'm going to be better this year. Or try, at least. And with that, I am going to offer you the first holiday season suggestion of the year: Eileen Ivers is doing a Christmas Tour, and you should try to see it if she's playing near you.

Ivers released one of the best Celtic Christmas CDs that I've heard a few years back, titled An Nollaig: An Irish Christmas, and is now planning an amazing Christmas music tour extravaganza also titled An Nollaig. Each stop on the tour, which finishes with a flourish at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, will include music (obviously) by Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, but also dancers, orchestral accompaniments, and more, often drawn from the local communities where the concerts are taking place. It promises to be a great night of entertainment (Ivers is a sensational performer), wherever you may see it, and one that will genuinely please the whole family. Here's the schedule:

12/02 - Huntsville, AL - Von Braun Center
12/03 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Concert Hall
12/04 - Helena, AR - Lily Peter Auditorium
12/07 - Easton, MD - Avalon Theatre
12/08 - Bay Shore, NY - Boulton Center
12/09 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse
12/10 - Woodstock, VT - Town Hall Theater
12/11 - New Brunswick, NJ - State Theatre
12/12 - Mahwah, NJ - Berrie Center for the Performing Arts at Ramapo College
12/15 - Wausau, WI - Grand Theater on Artsblock
12/17, 12/18 - Wickenburg, AZ - Del E. Webb Center
12/19 - Longview, WA - Columbia Theatre
12/21 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Strings in the Mountains
12/22 - Beaver Creek, CO - Vilar Performing Arts Center
12/23 - Los Angeles, CA - Walt Disney Concert Hall