Krampus, Orchids, and Lots of New Theater: Things to Do in Washington, December 3-6

Plus: Let's talk about Happiest Season.

Written by Rosa Cartagena | Published on December 3, 2020

Illustration by Hannah Good.

Hi folks!

We’ve got an orchid workshop, Krampus, and a lot of theater.

Season’s greetings from Krampus. Learn about the Christmas demon at a lecture this week.

Here’s what you should check out this weekend:

Art talk: Watch a conversation between artists Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Kay WalkingStick, whose works are included in the National Museum of the American Indian’s exhibit “Stretching the Canvas: Eight Decades of Native Painting.” Thursday 12/3 at 6 PM; Free, learn more here.

Scrooge’s time to shine: See the American Shakespeare Center’s livestreamed production of A Christmas Carol. The actors have been performing NBA-style in a bubble for the pandemic performance, and you can also watch it at Hull’s Drive-in theater in Lexington (December 12 and 20). Watch it online starting Friday 12/4 at 7:15 PM; learn more here.

Outdoor art: Take a stroll through Old Town Alexandria’s first Holiday Lamp Post Art Walk to see works from 25 local artists on decorated lamp posts along King Street. Saturday 12/5 through January 8, 2021; Free, learn more here.

A moving performance: Watch Georgetown’s Black Movements Dance Theatre in Finding the Antidote, a short film that includes a group performance about how to heal from the pandemics of Covid-19 and racism. Saturday 12/5 at 7 PM; Free, watch it here.

More live drama: Amir Nizar Zuabi wrote a Zoom play that’s performed live on a video call show collaboratively produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre, American Repertory Theater, Guthrie Theater, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Watch a father and son bond while cooking family recipes together on Zoom as they try to recover their broken relationship in This Is Who I Am. Saturday 12/5 through January 3, 2021; $15.99-$30.99, buy tickets here.

Floral therapy: De-stress with an interactive workshop from orchid expert Barbara Schmidt on Smithsonian Associates Streaming. She’ll walk through history and trivia about the popular plant and show you how to make your own sparkly DIY centerpiece for the holidays. Sunday 12/6 at 2 PM; $40, buy tickets here.

The nightmare of Christmastime: Hear horrifying tales about Krampus, the scary and legendary Christmas demon from Germany and Austria, in a virtual Profs & Prints lecture by Johns Hopkins professor William Egginton. Krampus is gaining popularity in the US, which I’m sure is thanks—at least in part—to that hilariously over-the-top Adam Scott and Toni Collette movie from 2015 that Time called “just too dumb to be scary.” Sunday 12/6 at 7 PM; $12, register here.

Conveyor-belt sushi: You read that right. Is this new restaurant’s high-tech conveyor belt the best pandemic dining invention?

Eligible bachelor: My coworker Mimi Montgomery talked to former Bachelorette contestant Jason Foster about his stint on the show and what it’s like getting recognized around his Arlington neighborhood.

Something fun:

Remember that time Aubrey Plaza got high with the weed-selling Sisters of the Valley? It’s worth a rewatch.Have you gotten into holiday movie mode? I know everyone has a process, like I used to watch the Nightmare Before Christmas every Noche Buena with friends and family (and we have a longstanding tradition of spending Christmas Day marathoning movies). Have you seen Happiest Season yet? The queer Christmas rom com recently came out on Hulu, prompting a lot of reactions—mainly people thirsting after Aubrey Plaza, pitying Kristen Stewart, and praising Dan Levy for carrying the movie. I won’t spoil anything—it’s an overall fun and sweet story, despite K-Stew’s infuriating romantic interest so I’d encourage you to watch!—but Plaza and Levy both stole the show. When I watched it with my girlfriend a few days ago, we were both surprised by how sad it actually was. Plus, while it’s amazing to see more queer representation onscreen, the film was painfully white and erred on too much of the rich dysfunctional family storyline. Basically, I want a spin-off with Aubrey Plaza’s character. I’m also excited to see Plaza in the new movie Black Bear, an intensely trippy movie that she talks about in this great interview with Adam Sandler in Interview magazine. I’m not a big Sandler person myself, but I could hear their voices in my head as I read their entertaining conversation and Plaza was, as always, delightfully weird.

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you’re up to at home by dropping me a line at rcartagena@washingtonian.com.

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