Barney’s Weekend Picks

Plant a Tree (or something): It isn’t spring
but darn, it feels like it. Makes you want to get your hands dirty
and do something to green up the land. How about heading to a nursery and finding
out what the experts suggest putting in the ground. Plant it and
spend the New Year watching it grow.

Music, Music, Music: It wouldn’t be
Christmastime without the charming Nutcracker. The
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet is staging its production
at the Arlington Saturday at 2:30 and 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 2:30
p.m., Santa Barbara’s only fully orchestrated live performance, the
ballet folks say. The Montecito School of Ballet is
staging The Night Before Christmas and Les
Patineurs at the Lobero
on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The Westmont Christmas Festival is scheduled Friday
at the college at 8 p.m. and Saturday at the First Presbyterian
Church, also at 8. La Arcada shopping mall will be
presenting concerts from noon to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday and
next weekend.

Parade of Lights: To many, the single-file
parade of boats from the harbor, their lights glistening on the
water, is a highlight of the season. (You can’t get this in
Bakersfield.) The 21st Parade of Lights takes place Sunday. From
3-5 p.m. there’s Santa’s Village, with real snow
and Santa, followed by the boat parade at
5:30, finishing off with a fireworks display.