THURSDAY 12.23

Back to the Past Selected as one of Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events in the month of December, the Victorian Christmas Stroll at the Henry B. Plant Museum captures the joy of Christmas from a bygone era. The stroll offers visitors a glimpse at the grand scale and opulent style of Victorian holiday festivities, in rooms decorated with the rich splendor of the 19th century, elaborately trimmed trees, lush greenery and inventive ornaments. There's also a special exhibit of antique toys dating from the 1890s to the 1930s, and this comprises popular gifts of the time, including dolls and dollhouses, board games, wind-up toys, rocking horses, sleds, toy soldiers, carved-wood animals and much more. If you want to get in on the complimentary spiced cider and cookies on the veranda, be sure to visit the museum today between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. (admission is $9 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger). There are no strolls Christmas Eve and day, but they resume on Dec. 26 and continue through Jan. 2 with new operating hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and pricing ($5 adults/$2 children). Proceeds from the stroll fund museum restoration and preservation projects, as well as educational programming. Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-258-7302.

Lighting Up Nature I've lived in the Bay Area for most of my life and as you've probably guessed, I've never experienced a white Christmas. Moreover, I've never encountered any neighborhood carolers, nor have I roasted chestnuts over an open fire. (I did live in a house that had a fireplace, which was, for the most part, just an oversized decoration.) Every year I look forward to the lights, however, for although we may not have all the usual stereotypical holiday trappings, we do have enthusiastic types who light up their neighborhoods even before the Thanksgiving turkey has been carved. Especially great are those areas specifically set up for your viewing pleasure, and before concluding your holiday wanderings, make sure to check out the light display at the Florida Botanical Gardens. This year-round tourist attraction is spectacular all on its own; but with tens of thousands of lights filling the sky with color, and illuminated snowflakes, butterflies and flowers adding a somewhat surreal ambiance, this is an excellent opportunity to see the gardens in a whole new, um … light. If you're having doubts about the greatness of the gardens (and you shouldn't), images like the one you see on this page can be found at www.flbg.org. Holiday hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; evening illumination occurs from 6 to 10 p.m. and continues through Jan. 2, at the Florida Botanical Gardens (Pinewood Cultural Park), 12175 125th St. N., Largo, 727-582-2100.

FRIDAY 12.24

Little Girl and Boy Land When The Wizard of Oz made its onstage debut in 1903, writer Victor Herbert was so inspired by its success that he decided to create his own musical fantasy. The resulting work, Babes in Toyland, is an extravagant display of characters from fairy tales, storybooks and nursery rhymes set to a varied sequence of musical episodes and interludes. The story is undeveloped enough to allow for change, and you can see a subtly altered version by Alice Hammerstein-Mathias and William Mount-Burke tonight at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center. Boasting classic tunes from the original operetta with additional songs from other Herbert works, Toyland takes place at the turn of the 19th century, and follows two siblings who've run away from home to escape their strict parents. On this journey, they encounter The Toymaker, who introduces them to a world overflowing with toys that can walk, talk, sing and dance. Of course, the production wouldn't be complete without a villain and he arrives in the form of a private investigator hired by the parents to track down their children. Being inherently malicious, he wants to profit over and above his normal P.I. fees, and makes plans to find the children and force them to steal The Toymaker's design for a new marching toy soldier. Troupe America performs in this touring production, which is directed and choreographed by Randy Winkler, with musical direction by Terry Hanson. Tickets: $26-$30. 3 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 24, at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-953-3368.

SUNDAY 12.26

Christmas Kitty No one sums up Christmas with as much sarcasm and bad cheer as Garfield, the lazy, loveable, lasagna-eating tabby from Jim Davis' well-known comic strip. Milestone Productions brings Garfield to life in a new musical stage production of A Garfield Christmas, which opens today at Ruth Eckerd Hall. The story follows Jon and cutie pooch Odie as they prepare to celebrate the holiday season. Naturally, Garfield is only excited about opening his present, and his lack of genuine Christmas spirit becomes a source of frustration for Jon. His dismay grows as he realizes that Garfield's attitude is the reason the Christmas tree lights won't work. No foolin'. As if that weren't silly enough, a handful of ornaments from the tree come to life and, together with help from an elf (sent by Santa as the "Official Christmas Spirit Inspector"), they attempt to bring light and cheer to Garfield's holiday. Can they accomplish this seemingly impossible task? Will Garfield learn the true meaning of the holidays and the joy of giving? Head to Clearwater to find out, and enjoy a family event with a whole lotta singing, dancing and holiday frolic. Audience participation is encouraged and kids can sing along to timeless Christmas favorites like "Jingle Bells," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," "Deck the Halls," "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and many others, in addition to some new, original numbers created specifically for the show. Tickets: $15. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater, 727-791-7400.

MONDAY 12.27

Illustrated Heroes The comic book is a genre of literature that for a long time went unrecognized by anyone other than teenage boys and obsessed collectors. Now there are plenty of adults who readily admit to reading comics, and who appreciate the fantastic imagery that the artists create to illustrate the stories. If you're a true fan or just looking to introduce a little culture into your child's comic book fascination, check out The Comic Book Hero exhibit at the Dunedin Fine Art Center before it closes. This exhibit examines the historic and cultural aspects of Batman, Superman, Spiderman and the X-Men in sequential art through essays, print works and original art panels from some of the genre's most notable comic book illustrators. Movie imagery and artifacts — including original movie poster paintings and the actual Bat Cycle from the 1960s film — complete the timeline for each character or set of characters. An evolution of comic book art is also displayed, with an emphasis on writing, figure drawing, color, social commentary and character portrayal. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat., and 1 to 4 p.m. Sun. This exhibit will be featured in the Entel Family gallery through Jan. 7 at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, 1143 Michigan Blvd., Dunedin, 727-298-3322.

This article appears in Dec 22-28, 2004.