Recommended by Claudia Haas

After reading this, if you have no sugar and carbs in your kitchen, you’re destined to make a quick trip to the market to find some. An homage to all the foods that we’re not supposed to eat, Lermond finds many delectable four letter words that provide fun and love. Excuse me now, while I look for that leftover cake…

Christmas changes at different stages of our life and Hall provides some cheer to figure out how to meld old traditions with new. The twists of farce and poignancy are combined in a rare holiday treat of belly laughs and the tug of heartstrings. Carollers, ghosts and ugly Christmas sweaters deck these halls and gives the play a merry jingle. It’s a Christmas confection for all.

As someone who did the “cut your own trees” during frigid Minnesota winters and loved it - Szymkowicz strikes all the right notes here. The vignettes are holiday friendly without being cloying. The relationships have truths, the loves are complicated, and the joys of the holiday are mixed with remembrances of past, present and future. Christmas carries a lot of weight but Szymkowicz concentrates on the hope and love we wish for in this season.

Fenton delivers a perfect Yuletide entree of silly politics, Christmas carols, and Red Riding Hood (you heard that right), all wrapped up with the perfect bow. A delight for elf-lovers, parents, and children, there’s something for everyone which is always our holiday wish.

Just in time for Christmas, David Taylor Little tugs at every heartstring. He knows sentiment. He knows caring. He knows his audience wants love and merry and supplies all. Set in a time of grief and hope, we are given the hope.

In case you wondered, Manischewitz and My Little Pony may not be the best combination. Or maybe it’s dreidels and gentiles? Lipschutz delivers a compelling reason to keep your new love under wraps for the holidays. On the other hand, what better time to introduce the new topic of conversation for years to come. A delightful family, holiday comedy that defies spelling.

As Christmas approaches and the overwhelming reality is there’s not a lot of time to do everything, Syran brings me back to my “mouse Christmas” or is it “mice Christmas” or is it “mince Christmas” or “mice pies” or “mince pies” and does it matter? I laughed and laughed remembering my own personal Houdini and how mince pies do not attract mice. Well done! Come here for a fun present for the holiday! (Mice not included in present.)

Thank you to Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend for giving this playwright a play about seniors who are in no way failing but making plans. New traditions, new ways to honor those that have passed (be them human or feline), and loving, begrudging affection between the two just charmed me. The sharp dialogue cuts the sentiment. And I really hope they outlive any parakeets that come their way.

One could wax poetic and philosophically about, “what is age? it’s just a number.” And, “what is time? Is it relative?” Or one could sit back and enjoy the dynamics of a smartly written mother-daughter relationship. And let you enjoy the wonder of Foster’s insightful ending, “What is truth and does it matter?”

I am reading this after some emotional, private moments and find that Preuss has offered healing and even a smile in the wake of the unthinkable. The bridging of a relationship, the honesty, and the respect of the mourning period offer light in days of darkness.