Thursday, Dec. 17: Cavs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – The Cleveland Cavaliers face a tough opponent tonight in the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the best teams in the NBA’s Western Division. Guard Russell Westbook is having an MVP-like season, and a healthy Kevin Durant has turned the team around from last year’s sub par season. Despite early December losses at New Orleans and Miami, the Cavs are still the best team in the East. Expect tonight’s contest to be a real battle. It begins at 8 at the Q and tickets start at $39. (Niesel, photo by Emanuel Wallace) Credit: Emanuel Wallace
Friday, Dec. 18: Freaki Tiki Fridays – As if to ward off winter, jazz/surf/spy instrumentalists Martini Five-O will bring a beach vibe tonight to Prosperity Social Club in Tremont. The band hosts Freaky Tiki Fridays, an event that features $6 Mai Tais, Pama Palomas, mango-habanero margaritas and other retro-cool cocktails. Appetizer specials include throwback times such as coconut shrimp, pigs in a blanket, Hawaiian meatballs or pineapple chicken skewers. “Tiki has always represented an American desire to escape somewhere exotic,” says Prosperity Social Club owner Bonnie Flinner in a press release. “While sipping on a lime-and-rum concoction and listening to the surf sounds of Martini Five-O may not be an island getaway, it is a fun way to forget about the work week and the blustery weather for one night.” The event runs from 9 p.m. to midnight. Admission is free. (Niesel, photo by Emanuel Wallace)
Friday, Dec. 18: A Last Call Christmas – The local improv troupe Last Call Cleveland returns to Playhouse Square’s Kennedy Theatre tonight with a show full of “holiday-themed sketches, songs and videos” designed to celebrate the season. Named “Best Performing Arts Group” by both Scene and Cleveland Magazines, the veteran group has been active for more than a decade. Tonight show starts at 8 at Kennedy’s Theatre and repeats at 8 tomorrow night. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 day of show. (Niesel, photo via Wiki) Credit: Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Saturday, Dec. 19: Holiday Carriage Rides – continuing through Sunday, Jan. 3, Cleveland Culture Gardens will host Holiday Carriage Rides on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. The Holiday Carriage Rides are designed to create “memorable, special moments with family and friends.” Guests will wait before the ride at a fireplace and then receive hot chocolate and hot cider to drink as a carriage takes them through the gardens and fields. Sponsored by the Cleveland World Festival, Famicos Foundation and Shamrock Carriages, the Holiday Carriage Rides celebrate the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Centennial. A special kickoff event today from noon to 2 p.m. will feature free hot chocolate and snacks and the chance to roast marshmallows in the fireplace. The Holiday Carriage Rides leave from the Upper Italian Garden (990 East Blvd.) The cost of each ride, which accommodates up to five persons, is $25 or $50, depending on the length of the route. A percentage of the proceeds goes to the Famicos One World Theatre Camp, which takes place during the summer at Michael R. White School in Cleveland. For further information, call 216-791-6476 ext. 269 or go to the website. (Niesel, photo by Emanuel Wallace)
Saturday, Dec. 19: Last Minute Market – This year’s Last Minute Market moves from its longtime home at the Screw Factory to the Galleria on East Ninth Street Downtown. Browse more than 135 carefully selected vendors from Cleveland and points beyond to fill the voids in your holiday shopping list. The event annually attracts more than 4,500 visitors from throughout the region. The Last Minute Market takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. Free. Heated indoor parking is available for just $3 under the Galleria. (Usmani, photo by Ashley Taylor) 1301 E. 9th St.
Saturday, Dec. 19: Ohio City Singers – About 10 years ago, local singer-songwriter Chris Allen and his sister Molly worked up four Christmas tunes at their father’s request and then threw a big Christmas party to which they invited their musician friends. They played the four original tunes they had penned as well as a few choice covers, recorded them and delivered them on a CD to their father as a Christmas gift. That signaled the birth of the Ohio City Singers, a group of local musicians that plays several Christmas-themed concerts each year. Now, the band is a seasonal treat and plays several area shows leading up to Christmas. This year, the group hasn’t released a new album in the works, but it did put out a rollicking new single, the accordion-driven “Baby, Don’t You Know It’s Christmas.” (Niesel, photo by Ashley Taylor) $15
Saturday, Dec. 18: Customer Appreciation Christmas Party – The Annual Customer Appreciation Christmas Party at Carol & John’s Comic Book Shop is a time-honored tradition for the community of pop culture enthusiasts that has sprouted up around the shop since its inception 25 years ago. Bigger and better each year, the party includes discount sales throughout the store, holiday fun, refreshments and a raffle. In celebration of this month’s premier of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Force Awakens, this year’s Christmas Party is Star Wars-themed. Many local artists have designed custom Star Wars comic book covers that will be raffled off towards the end of the event. All proceeds benefit the Cleveland Food Bank, and previous years’ events have raised enough funds for tens of thousands of meals. Raffle tickets can be purchased for cash or traded for canned food items (up to 10 cans per person). There will be plenty of surprises, as well as fan favorites at this one night only special event. Stop by from 8 to 11 tonight. Free. (Usmani, photo by Emanuel Wallace)
Sunday, Dec. 20: It’s a Wonderful Life – A classic flick that centers on a small-town man (James Stewart) who feels so limited by his circumstances that he contemplates committing suicide on Christmas Eve, It’s a Wonderful Life screens at 10 a.m. on today at the Capitol Theatre. Despite its serious subject matter, the Frank Capra film has become a Christmas classic. It’s part of the Capitol Theatre’s on-going Sunday Classics Brunch and Movie Series. After the film, patrons who show their ticket stubs at one of the partner restaurants (Luxe Kitchen and Lounge, Latitude 41n, Spice) will get a discount or special offering for brunch. Tickets are $6. (Niesel, photo via IMDB)
Sunday, Dec. 20: Winter Warmer – Tonight from 8 to 10 p.m., Prosperity Social Club hosts its annual Winter Warmer Show, a “laidback seasonal celebration.” This year’s event features the swinging sounds of Jody, John & George, a trio that’ll perform holiday lounge tunes from the ‘40s and ‘50s. Specials for the night include a $13.95 chicken marsala dinner special and spicy hot buttered rum. Advance reservations are recommended. (Niesel)
Sunday, Dec. 20: Machine Gun Kelly – General Admission, hometown hero Machine Gun Kelly’s much-anticipated follow-up to his last studio album, 2012’s Lace Up, finally dropped earlier this year and debuted high on the Billboard charts. Prior to its release, the rapper released two singles from it: “Till I Die” and “A Little More.” The former starts with a bit of piano before the slow-motion beats kick in and MGK begins rapping about how he’ll continue to be proud of his Cleveland roots “till I die.” Shot in Northeast Ohio, the video serves as a tribute to the city he calls home. Expect to hear these tracks and more as MGK, one of the city’s best known musical exports, plays the first of two sold out shows at House of Blues. (Niesel, photo by Paige Margulies ) $39.50 ADV, $45 DOS Credit: Paige Margulies

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