To have an item listed in the calendar, mail to Calendar Editor, 1604 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314; fax to 703-917-0991 or e-mail to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Friday at noon for the following week’s paper. Photos and artwork encouraged. if you have any questions, call Marguerite Rogers at 703-917-6407.
“Holidays at Mount Vernon,” Dec. 1 to Jan. 6, 2005, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An elaborately recreated holiday dinner will be on display in the large dining room with the Washingtons’ famed “Great Cake” as the centerpiece of the feast. Visitors will also learn about the Washingtons’ relationship and see the third floor of the mansion where Martha Washington resided following her husband’s death. The third floor is open exclusively for the holiday season. Historical items not usually on display, significant acquisitions to the collections at Mount Vernon, and newly conserved pieces will provide an unprecedented opportunity to visualize what Christmas dinner with the first “First Family” looked like. “The Holidays at Mount Vernon” is included in regular estate admission: $11 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-11, and free for children under 6. Mount Vernon is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily during December and January. “Mount Vernon by Candlelight” features evening tours of the mansion, 18th century characters, caroling around a bonfire, and free hot cider and cookies on Dec. 10, 11, and 12. Tickets may be purchased in person at the main gate or in advance through Ticketmaster at 703-573-SEAT or www.ticketmaster.com. Prices are $15 for adults and $8 for children 11 and under.
12th Annual Small Paintings Show, featuring the oils and watercolors of many of the Prince Royal Gallery's 43 artists, all 8 inches by 10 inches or less, suitably framed and ready for gifts for the holiday season. Show will run through Dec. 31 at The Prince Royal Gallery, 204 South Royal St. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Call 703-548-5151 or visit the gallery website at www.princeroyalgallery.com.
"A Little Humor & A Lot of History." Artwork by Ira Bloom and Martha D.D. Brumbaugh. Brumbaugh studies and paints her interpretation of the 25,000-year-old cave drawings of Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain, while Bloom welds 1/8 to 3/4 inch rods of steel into replicas of historic trees, such as the Maryland Liberty Tree and the infamous Wye Oak recently knocked down by Hurricane Isabelle. Through Jan. 9, 2005 at Gallery G, 215 King St. Hours: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday Saturday 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Sundays 12-9:30 p.m. Call 703-836-5400.
Alexandria Silver Exhibit. "An Alexandria Legacy: The Howard W. Smith Jr., Silver Collection," featuring silver made in Alexandria between 1790 and 1850. In the Lyceum's Coldsmith Gallery, Nov. 27-March 27, 2005. call 703-838-4994.
Babies and Movies Mondays. Weekly film showings catering exclusively to parents and their babies. Every Monday, at 1:30 p.m., at Old Town Theater, 815 1/2 King St., Alexandria. For more information, call 703-587-7507.
"Myth and Mirage." The art of Avel De Knight is on exhibit at the Alexandria Black History Museum from Sept. 1 through Jan. 15, 2005. The works on paper include watercolors, studies of the figure and of landscapes, and art featuring the influence of De Knight's travels in France, Italy, Russia and North Africa. The museum is located at 902 Wythe St., Alexandria. For more information, call 703-838-4356 or visit www.alexblackhistory.org.
Parlez Vous Cafe. Parents and children are invited on the first and third Sundays of each month for croissants, beverages and story time in French. 11:30 a.m. snacks, 12 p.m. story time. Suggested donation: $10/family. Parlez Vous is located at 1610 King St.
"The Eight: Reindeer Monologues" by Jeff Goode, directed by Bob Bartlett. Dec. 10, 11, 24, 25 at 11 p.m., running time of 80 to 90 minutes, at Old Town Theater, 815 1/2 King St. Tickets $10 at http://tickets.oldtowntheater.com or call 703-683-8888. Based in Accokeek, Md., Accokeek Creek Theatre Company brings a Washington, D.C. tradition, Jeff Goode’s Christmas comedy "The Eight: Reindeer Monologues," to The Old Town Theater. Christmas will never be the same as Santa’s eight reindeer confess the horror of working for the fat man himself. For adults.
Torpedo Factory Art Center at 30: A Juror’s Choice. An exhibit featuring three-D works by 27 current members of the Torpedo Factory, chosen by Hester Stinnett, dean of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. On exhibit through Jan. 16, 2005 at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union St. Call 703-838-4565 or e-mail targetgallery@torpedofactory.org.
Q&A Quilt Art, a local fiber artists group, will exhibit its work at Green Spring Gardens Park, 4603 Green Spring Road. The artwork ranges from abstract to representational, intensely personal to universally themed, whimsical to deadly serious. Call 703-642-5173 or visit www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/gsgp/.
Weekly dances. At Dance Studio Lioudmila, 18 Roth St. Every Friday, tea dance from 1-3:15 p.m. Singles and couples welcome, dance class and refreshments included. $8 per person, Every Saturday, dance class from 7:30-8:30 p.m., followed by a dance party from 8:30-11 p.m. Ballroom, swing and Latin dancing. $10 per person including class. For more information, call 703-751-8868 or visit www.dancelioudmila.com.
"Festive Gatherings," the December Holiday show of pottery at Scope Gallery, features gifts for the cook, the hostess and the art connoisseur as well as serving dishes for those special holiday events. Also featured are ornaments starting at $10. Now through Jan. 2. Torpedo Factory Art Center, Gallery 19, 105 N. Union St. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Call 703-548-6288 or visit www.torpedofactory.org.
Colonial Holiday Dessert Table. A table laden with a Martha Washington cake, seed cake, fruit, nuts, jellies, and other colonial confection, all decoratively arranged, is on display at the Carlyle House, 121 N. Fairfax St., through Jan. 5. The House is open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sundays from 12-4 p.m. Admission is $4 per adult, $2 for students aged 11-17, and free for children 10 and under. Call 703-352-5900.