Too good to miss: Geeky vodka & nerdy gin
When Wine Geeks sommelier Derek Todd announced he was getting into the spirits business you knew there had to be something geeky about it. There is! We went to his spirits tasting and tried some geeky vodka and some nerdy gin. We're talking a whole new wave of artisanal distillers using natural ingredients and small batch production methods to make cleaner, purer, and delicious spirits. Locavores will not be let down as he was fully stocked with spirits from distillers in Brooklyn, Port Chester and Greenpoint. Find out what we liked, what really causes a hangover ... and see some of the coolest liquor bottles and labels we've ever seen. Right here.

A Christmas & New Years Feast from Chef Mark Kramer  
Chef Mark Kramer of Susan Lawrence Gourmet Foods in Chappaqua loves food, music and history. So we thought he would be the perfect person to take our Holiday Entertaining challenge. First he offered us his modern take on a 17th century Christmas dinner that starts with a blood orange and elderberry cocktail and moves through 6 more courses before getting to dessert. (Think quince and lingonberry sugar plums.) Next, he wrote us a New Years menu guaranteed to bring good luck - however you may define it - for 2014. If you think you don't need any luck then you can take a pass here. If you're in the market for a little good luck (we know who you are) read more.

Varsity Basketball  
The Varsity Boys Basketball season kicks in to high gear as the league schedule begins in early January. We list the local teams schedules here beginning with this weekend's action. Byram Hills High School, Fox Lane, Horace Greeley, and John Jay Cross River all will hit the hardwood this week. Byram Hills is at home on Friday night against Ossining, while Greeley and John Jay travel to Brewster and Yorktown. Fox Lane heads to Harrison for a tournament on Thursday night and Saturday. 

Les Miserables in White Plains 
The world's longest running musical has been seen by over 65 million people in 42 countries and has received 100 international awards. Now you can see a Broadway quality production of Les Mis in White Plains for half the price of a Broadway theater. There's even a special New Year's Eve performance followed by a cast party with champagne, small bites and dessert. Happy New Year Victor Hugo. Happy New Year Jean Valjean. Happy New Year Javert. NOT! Thurs-Sun, 12/19-22, Sun-Tues, 12/28-31: 8pm, Sun & Thurs: 2pm. www.wppac.com

Friday Night Cinema at NCPL 
NCPL and LIU Professor Valerie Franco present Rust and Bone, a 2012 French-Belgian romantic drama from Jacques Audiard. The story follows the relationship between an unemployed kick boxer and a killer whale trainer who loses her legs in an accident during a show at the aquarium. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won Best Picture at the BFI London Festival. Fri, 12/20: 7pm. (North Castle Public Library, 19 Whippoorwill Rd. E., Armonk; www.northcastlelibrary.org

A Christmas Carol at the Old Dutch Church
Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk's adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is as much a classic in Sleepy Hollow as the original novel was in 19th century London. This long-standing Historic Hudson Valley production in Sleepy Hollow's Old Dutch Church is performed with musical accompaniment and complimentary hot chocolate. Sat, 12/21: 3:30, 4:45 & 6pm. (381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow) More on this and other Holiday events here.

The Magic Flute

Tony Award-winning director of The Lion King, Julie Taymor's fanciful production of Mozart's The Magic Flute - complete with dancing bears and giant flamingos - is sung in English and runs a brisk 100 minutes in this abridged holiday version for families. The cast includes Alec Shrader as Tamino, Eric Owens as Sarastro and Nathan Gunn as Papgeno at the Metropolitan Opera from Mon-Sat, 12/16- 1/4/14: check times. What To Do's Holiday Events guide lists this and 62 more ways to celebrate the holidays.  Check them out right on www.whattododigital.com  

When she hits the Barclays Center stage on 12/19 she'll be 12 days into her 22 day vegan cleanse. She'll be craving meat when she does ... and that's the way I like it. Check it out along with 62 more musical events in our new Winter Music Guide: From Pit Bull to the Chappaqua Orchestra. (And that's the way we like it. www.whattododigital.com.

Holiday Spectacular in Ridgefield 
Tony Award-winning Broadway star Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins Broadway) performs holiday faves and leads an audience sing-a-long. Local dance companies join Debbie on stage. You can too. Special guest Ethan Carey, from the i95fm Morning Show, will read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Thurs, 12/19: 7:30pm, Fri, 12/20: 5 & 8pm. For more holiday events including The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden, A Christmas Story at MSG and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular read more.

Holiday Concert at Chappaqua Library
The West Point Military Band will perform a program of holiday classics at the Chappaqua Library. This holiday season the band will play at Trinity Church and the New York Public Library in Manhattan. They will return to Chappaqua in January for a performance of ragtime. Fri, 12/20: 7pm. (195 S. Greeley, Ave., Chappaqua; www.whattododigital.com

The Nutcracker in Stamford, White Plains & Lincoln Center

What To Do's Holiday Events Guide puts you front row center for the world's most famous holiday ballet. We take you from George Ballanchine's choreographic classic of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece at Lincoln Center to local productions (at a fraction of the cost) at the County Center and Stamford Center for the Arts. Everything Nutcracker at your finger tips.

Rob Mathes Christmas Concert at PAC
Emmy Award-winner and Grammy-nominee Rob Mathes has performed his Christmas Concert of original and holiday classics at PAC for 20 years. Mathes has arranged, produced, recorded and performed with Sting, Sir Elton John, Tony Bennett and Bono. He recently finished orchestrations for a new set of songs by Bruce Springsteen. Fri-Sat, 12/20-21: 8pm. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org

Ted Sperling's Winter Pops with the Westchchester Phil 
Tony-winner Ted Sperling conducts the Westchester Philharmonic's annual Winter Pops. (SELL OUT ALERT. ORDER TICKETS NOW!) Sperling's BWAY '59 weaves a musical story of the year 1959, when Gypsy and The Sound of Music lit up the great white way. With Broadway stars Judy Kuhn (Les Miserables,) Betsy Wolf (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,) and Ryan Silverman (Phantom.) Sun, 12/22: 3pm. (The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; More holiday music here )

www.whattododigital.com)

It's December 19th: Do you know where Santa is? 
It's not going to get any easier to keep track of Santa as the big night draws near. You can track him all around the globe on Christmas Eve at NORAD Tracks Santa. This annual Santa tracking program, produced by the North American Aerospace Defense Command since 1955, also offers, games, movies, music, and a library of information about Santa, his sleigh and holiday traditions around the world. www.noradsanta.org.

Lasdon Park's main house is decorated for the season at its first ever Holiday Train Show. Watch the Polar Express travel up the Harlem Line from New York City to Katonah passing iconic buildings and scenes along the way. Purchase a tree, wreath or poinsettia and help a homeless veteran. Sat-Sun, 12/21-22, Fri-Sun, 12/27-29: 11am-3:30pm. (2648 Alawalk Rd., Rt. 35, Katonah; www.lasdonpark.org)

It's a Wonderful Life at J. Burns
It's not Christmas at WTD until George Bailey finds Zuzu's flower petals in his vest pocket. Frank Capra's 1946 holiday classic was a bust at the box office and confirmed to Hollywood execs that Capra was no longer an A-list filmmaker. The film (which is still going ka-ching for Paramount) has since been ranked  No. 11 on AFI's list of the greatest films of all time and No. 1 on its list of the greatest inspirational films. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, It's A Wonderful Life only won a Technical Achievement Award for a new method of simulating snow on a movie set. With Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and the "snow techies" for whom the film will always be remembered. Sat-Tues. 12/21-24, Thurs-Fri, 12/26-7: 12pm. (Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)

The Muppet Christmas Carol
Academy Award-winner Michael Caine, (Scrooge) Kermit and Miss Piggy (Bob and Emily Cratchit) and director Brian Henson keep this musical-fantasy comedy version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol real despite using contemporary music (circa 1992) and muppets. Even the tough crowd at Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a merry 67% rating. Not bad considering Bob Cratchit is played by a frog. Sat-Wed. 12/28-1/1/14: 12pm. (Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd.,Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)

How to survive the cold and flu season
Armonk resident and health coach, Amy Diamond offers some easy tips on how to boost your immune season as we enter the cold and flu season. Plus, what to do at the first sign of a cold. (Think zinc.) Amy's holistic health practice, Diamond Health Coaching LLC, helps clients meet their health goals through an integrative approach to nutrition and wellness. Read about her and steer clear of the sniffles (and aches and pains) this winter in What To Do's Winter Survival Checklist. Read more.

Indoor Farmers Markets 
You don't have to turn off your inner locavore for the winter. Several local farmer's markets go indoors for the winter and remain open year round. So check out our Winter Survival Checklist and keep your farm to table regimen going into the new year. While you are there you can find out where to go for kids4free skiing, what to do to attract cardinals to your winter garden, and how to handle a snowman who smokes a pipe. Read more.

I SKI NY Free for Kids 
Third and fourth graders who are new to skiing can ski for free this winter at a majority of New York resorts. You can choose a learn to ski or snowboard package or just get your free lift ticket and head for the slopes. Last year 31 mountains participated including Thunder Ridge, Belleayre, Windham and Hunter Mountain. Read more in our Winter Survival Checklist here.

How to build a snowman 
Think its easy? Learn the best techniques, this year's must have snowman accesories and Martha Stewart's advice on how to handle a frosty who smokes a pipe - nasty habit. Or go online and build a virtual snowman. We tell all. Plus, tips on a winter garden, The Old Farmers Almanac report, and random winter survival tips all in our Winter Survival Checklist. Winter Survival Checklist here.

A Super-Tuscan: Notes of raspberry & dark chocolate
This week's Wine of the Week from Wine Geeks Armonk is the La Maialina 'Gertrude' 2009. This Super-Tuscan is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that shows notes of raspberry, cherry and plum with hints of sweet spice, mint and dark chocolate. Normally $12.99, with this week's discount it is only $11.04 a bottle. Buy it by the case for an even deeper 20% discount. Use Discount Code TUSCANGEEK to purchase. Through Sun, 12/22. (Wine Geeks Armonk, 559 Main St., Armonk; 914.273.9463. www.winegeeksarmonk.com

White Plains New Year's Eve Spectacular 

The 14th annual (who knew?) White Plains New Year's Eve Spectacular features music, confetti, a countdown, ball drop and a fireworks show at midnight. Heineken USA even offers Safe Rides home from the corner of E. Post Road and Mamaroneck Ave. from 11pm-3am. (Just in case somebody slips something into your drink without you knowing. We know WTD readers always drink responsibly.) Tues, 12/31: 10pm-12:30am. (Main St., White Plains; www.wpbid.com)

New Year's Rockin' Eve: Billy Joel, Phish, Yo-Yo Ma 

Make it a musical New year's Eve with Billy Joel at the Barclays Center, Phish at Madison Square Garden, Wynton Marsalis at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola or the classical music comedy team of Igudesman & Joo with the New York Philharmonic. Gotta dance? Ring in the Swing at a New Year's Eve Dance Party with Jazz from Lincoln Center. If you prefer to dance while lying on the couch you can tune into PBS for Yo-Yo Ma and the New York Phil's evening of dance inspired musical works. (Think Bolero.) New Year's Music here.

John Jay Scholars Lecture Series 
The Friends of John Jay Scholars Lecture Series, Long Path to Equality, kicks off with Pulitzer Prized winner Gilbert King discussing his book Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. The book draws on never-before-examined FBI and NAACP files to cover the case of the Groveland Boys (four African-American men accused of raping a white woman in Groveland, FL in 1949. Tues, 1/7: 7pm. (John Jay Homestead State Historic Site, 400 Jay St., Katonah; www.johnjayhomestead.org

Harvey Presents: An Evening with Joe Gerardi 
Following their sold out interview with Regis Philbin, The Harvey School presents an evening with Yankees Manager Joe Gerardi. The evening will be presented in an interview format in the intimate 300 seat Lasdon Theater at The Walker Center for the Arts at The Harvey School. Gerardi will share stories about his playing days on the great Yankees teams of the late '90s as well as his time as Yankees manager. He will also talk about the team's prospects for 2014 and will take questions from the audience. Sun, 1/12: 6pm. Order tickets online or call 914.232.3161 ext. 161. (Harvey School, 260 Jay St., Katonah; www.harveyschool.org 

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