Spites’ Christmas

December is a very good month for family theater. A short list of this year’s Christmas-themed shows includes A Christmas Carol at the Lucille Lortel Theater (December 9-31), Christmas All Over the Place at the Abrons Arts Center (December 21), Poko Puppet’s Jack Frost Holiday Revue at Queensborough Performing Arts Center (December 2-4), Theatre Three’s A Christmas Carol (through December 30), the Airport Playhouse’s Grandpa’s Gift (December 3-17), and — of course! — the annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall (through January 2).

Hanukkah is here as well, and there are various ways to celebrate. The 92nd Street Y throws the city’s biggest Hanukkah Festival on December 5. The Striking Viking Story Pirates recreates the story of the Maccabbees’ victory, teaming up with children for an hour of vaudeville, sketch comedy and songs on December 18 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

If you’re not in the mood for strictly seasonal fare, there are plenty of other options, starting with the return engagement of Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan at the Theater at Madison Square Garden (through December 30). The Beacon Theatre plays host to Disney Live’s presentation of Winnie the Pooh, featuring all your favorite Pooh characters like Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and more (December 8-28). At the ArcLight Theater, you can see a new comic version of Jack and the Beanstalk told in British-panto style, complete with the actors ad-libbing, audience participation, and nine original songs (December 9-19).

At the nearby McGinn/Cazale Theatre, the Vital Theatre Company debuts The Bully (December 15 – February 5), a show about a smart if somewhat small 12-year-old student named Sammy who has to contend with Steve, a champion athlete and schoolyard bully. One day, the bus drops the boys off at the wrong school, and they must learn to resolve their differences.

Downtown, the Axis Theatre brings back the Brothers Grimm’s Seven in One Blow, Or The Brave Little Kid (December 2-18), about a young man who swats an amazing seven flies at once and is soon called upon for even harder tasks. Sophisticated parents can take their equally sophisticated children to the socially-conscious Bread and Puppet in Cardboard Celebration Circus at Theater for the New City (December 10-18). This time, the Bread and Puppet troupe takes satirical aim at such targets as the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the thinning separation of Church and State. It might sound a bit heady for the young ones, but fear not: stilt-walkers, brass bands, and giant puppets are accessible to all.