Spike the eggnog

Although Christmas has become synonymous with shopping excess and overflow parking at the local malls, there is one annual event that is sure to please everyone and then some. The Christmas Jug Band will perform a run of shows that includes Mill Valley, Healdsburg, Sutter Creek and, of course, Winters. This group of traveling gypsies and working musicians from the Bay Area not only puts its own drunken, comical twist on our favorite holiday classics, but also pens some originals. Forget “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and prepare to be surprised. With a rotating cast of characters that includes Austin de Lone (Commander Cody), Paul Rogers (Those Darn Accordions), Jim Rothermel (Van Morrison and Jesse Colin Young), Norton Buffalo and more, the group is surely one of the season’s greatest pleasures. The Christmas Jug Band plays the Palms Playhouse, located at 13 Main Street in Winters, on Wednesday. The show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $15. All ages are welcome. Call (530) 795-1825 for more information.