It’s that time of year: a time of hope, joy, and giving—and I’m not just talking about hunting season. Christmas is quickly approaching, and many are struck with the panic of shopping, likely tired of going out into the masses to get that new iPod or that Twilight book for your kid or loved one. Well, a dose of high drama and culture would make the perfect gift. The Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild is putting on Nuncrackers Dec. 4-14 at Grand Little Theater. It stars a group of nuns putting on their own “TV Special” in the convent basement. They play songs like “The 12 Days Prior to Christmas” and perform their own hilarious version of the Nutcracker Ballet. CVTG is also putting on the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Christmas is not complete without this play, which runs Dec. 19-21 at The State Theatre. The Eau Claire Children’s Theatre is putting on A Little House Christmas (Dec. 5-6 at North High School and Dec. 18 at Mabel Tainter Theater), based on the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It’s a play about Ma, Pa, Laura, Mary, and others as they gathered together to have their first Christmas in their homestead. Finally, A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol is being performed regularly at Fanny Hill through Jan. 25. It’s about a bar owner, Gunner Johnson, who swears to his wife that he is skipping Christmas. He is then visited by the folk legend, Sven Yorgensen, who takes him on a journey similar to A Christmas Carol. Be sure to check out one of these plays this holiday season. I guarantee they’ll be better than a vampire romance novel.