When it comes to the sardonic side of Christmas, Bryant-Lake Bowl is ground zero. The latest production to riff on the traditions and cultural mores of the season is Savage Umbrella's one-man original play by actor and playwright Eric F. Avery. The show follows the ups -- and mostly downs -- of Happy, a seasonally depressed clown who searches for a "Eat, Pray, Love" mixed bag of transcendence via religion, yoga and pretty much every self-help avenue out there. The results should be humorous, but you can also expect an intelligent underlying commentary on an often-polarizing holiday. More event details.

Like a cagey old uncle coming home for the holidays, Anderson returns to the Twin Cities for two shows at the big Burnsville Performing Arts Center. He's been doing stand-up for 30 years around the country -- most recently a stint in Las Vegas -- but his hometown crowd still gives him the biggest welcome. After selling out the early show, a second has been added. With the holidays in mind, there's no telling what sort of introspective family feud Anderson will conjure up for his audience. No doubt it will be a funny one. More event details.