As temperatures drop, lights twinkle, and bells jingle, December signals the arrival of the winter holiday season.Whether you’ll be embracing the cold or cozying up someplace warm, there’s plenty of things to see and do this month around the Baltimore area.From Baltimore’s German-style holiday market at the Inner Harbor, to monument and tree lightings, to holiday-themed performances, check it all out in our December events roundup:Festival of Trees, ongoing through Sunday, Dec. 1, Maryland State Fairground Cow Palace. Entering its 35th year, the Festival of Trees is a three-day event that showcases hundreds of creatively decorated trees (including Orioles and Raven’s trees!), wreaths, gingerbread houses, and more, which are available for purchase. The event benefits the patients, students and programs at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and kicks off the most wonderful time of the year.The Polar Express Holiday Experience, ongoing through Dec. 22, B&O Railroad Museum. Celebrating 20 years of holiday magic, experience the wonder of Christmas with the iconic holiday train adventure, followed by a visit to the North Pole. The museum has transformed its roundhouse into the North Pole with dancing elves, huge Christmas tree, photogenic Polar Bears, and Santa! And of course, music, hot cocoa, and freshly baked cookies. Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 22. Tickets required.Holly-Days, ongoing through Tuesday, Dec. 24, Maryland Zoo. See zoo animals; participate in a scavenger hunt; take photos with holiday characters; ride a train and carousel; write letters to Santa; and more.Inner Harbor Christmas Village, ongoing through Tuesday, Dec. 24, Inner Harbor. The Christmas Village in Baltimore continues this month. Visit the German-style holiday market along the Inner Harbor waterfront, featuring more than 60 local and international vendors; food favorites like bratwurst, schnitzel, and Glühwein; live performances; and more.Charm City Lights, ongoing nightly through Jan. 1, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Druid Hill Park. Baltimore City Recreation & Parks presents the second annual Charm City Lights exhibit, featuring a one-mile, drive-thru adventure featuring custom, animated displays, and a 48-foot tree.Holiday Train Garden, ongoing through Sunday, Jan. 5, The Shops at Kenilworth. Stop by The Shops at Kenilworth’s lower level during all mall hours to see the annual train garden display.Inner Harbor Ice Rink, ongoing through Monday, Jan. 20. Skate across the ice and enjoy views of the Inner Harbor. The ice rink is open daily, with hours of operation being Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Note: special hours on holidays.) Purchase tickets here.Baltimore Symphony Musicians & Friends, Sunday, Dec. 1, 3:30 p.m., Community Concerts at Second, Second Presbyterian Church. Sponsored by Beth & Mark Felder, this free community concert will feature Maconchy’s “Clarinet Quintet,” Tansman’s “Suite for Wind Trio,” and Beethoven’s “String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3 in C Major.”Christmas with Choral Arts, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., Baltimore Basilica. Baltimore Choral Arts returns to the Basilica for the annual Christmas with Choral Arts concert, featuring a lively selection of Christmas songs, traditional carols, and festive sing-alongs.Labor + Innovation: Echoes from the Key Bridge, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Baltimore Museum of Industry. Oral history event honoring port workers and preserving the Key Bridge legacy through art and storytelling. A moderated panel, tribute poetry, art, and recordings capture the narrative of the Key Bridge’s significance. Event is free to the public, but RSVPs are requested.Holiday Sip & Shop, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., The Shops at Kenilworth. Enjoy in-store incentives, music, and refreshments as you check off your holiday shopping list.53rd Annual Monument Lighting, Thursday, Dec. 5, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place. Presented by the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, this annual tradition kicks off the holiday season with caroling, food, fireworks, and good cheer. Jhené Aiko, Thursday, Dec. 5, doors open at 6 p.m., event begins at 7 p.m., CFG Bank Arena. Join singer Jhené Aiko for a night of R&B music, co-starring Jessie Reyez, Shenseea, Umi, ad Kiana Ledé, with sounds by Starrza. The concert is part of Aiko’s The Magic Hour Tour.The Lafayette Gilchrist “Undaunted” Sextet, Thursday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Keystone Korner. Baltimore-based jazz pianist Lafayette Gilchrist will lead the sextet through an evening of “riveting compositions that demonstrate why he is one of the most iconoclastic jazz musicians of his generation.”Sagamore Spirit Tree Lighting, Friday, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sagamore Spirit. Sagamore Spirit will celebrate their sixth annual tree lighting with whiskey cocktails, distillery tours, festive live music, custom bottle engravings, and local food and beverages from Nineteen O’Nine Cocktail Bar, Rye Street Tavern, Bmore Greek, Pizza de Joey, Travelin’ Toms Coffee Truck, and Ben and Jerrys.The Dirty Grass Players, Friday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., Recher Theatre. Join Baltimore’s own Dirty Grass Players for “an energetic explosion of old-time pickin’, colored with an inventive, newgrass hand, that is given lyrical life by their soaring vocal harmonies that exist on an ethereal plain.”Love Actually in Concert, Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m., Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The BSO will perform the soundtrack from this cult-classic and holiday favorite while the film is projected on the big screen.Led Zeppelin Tribute, Friday, Dec. 6, doors open at 7 p.m., event starts at 8 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. Jason Bonham will pay tribute to his father and Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham in this concert celebrating the band’s music throughout their career.Fell’s Point Old Tyme Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fell’s Point. Fell’s Point will kick off the holiday season with Olde Tyme Christmas, featuring photos with Santa, kids crafts, letters to Santa, the lighting of the Christmas Tree, a view of the Lighted Boat Parade, and more. Mariah Carey, Saturday, Dec. 7, doors open at 6:30 p.m., event begins at 7:30 p.m., CFG Bank Arena. Has the holiday season truly begun if you haven’t yet heard the iconic “I” run at the start of Mariah Carey’s ““All I Want For Christmas Is You”? Well, here’s your chance to hear Carey live during her Christmas Time concert. The event will celebrate the 30th anniversary of her “Merry Christmas” album. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Saturday, Dec. 7, doors open at 6:30 p.m., event starts at 7:30 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. Gillian Welch and her musical partner David Rawlings will bring modern acoustic music to the Lyric. Welch was executive producer on the Grammy award-winning “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack, and in 2021 she and Rawlings won a Grammy award for Best Folk Album for “All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone).”ArtsCentric’s Black Nativity, Saturday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m., Baltimore Center Stage. Opening night of American iconic poet Langston Hughes’ show depicting the Nativity through an African American lens. With original music by Cedric D. Lyles, direction by Kevin S. McAllister, and choreography by Shalyce Hemby, Black Nativity runs through Dec. 22. The Opening Night celebration, however, features post-show drinks, dancing, and light bites until midnight. The opening night festivities require an RSVP, which you can see here.Winter Wishes Holiday Market, Saturday, Dec. 7 through Saturday, Dec. 21, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., The Shops at Kenilworth. Celebrate the season by shopping local! Explore a vibrant collection of unique gifts, from sweet treats and beauty products to beautifully handcrafted candles and artwork. Located on the upper level between Meg Fox Aesthetics and Comfort One Shoes, the Winter Wishes Holiday Market will be open every Saturday from Dec. 7 through Dec. 21.Mayor’s Christmas Parade, Sunday, Dec. 8, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Hampden and Medfield. Welcome the start of the Christmas season with the 51st annual Mayor’s Christmas Parade, featuring local leaders, businesses, community groups, performers, and a visit from Santa Claus himself at the very end. The parade will begin at Coldspring Lane and travel south on Falls Road, then turn east onto 36th Street, before a final turn onto Chestnut Avenue.Cirque Nutcracker, Friday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m., Music Center at Strathmore; Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 15, 3 p.m., Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Troupe Vertigo will join the BSO to present a new and exciting rendition of Tchaikovsky’s beloved The Nutcracker, complete with jaw-dropping acrobatics and astonishing choreography.Wild ‘N Out Live, Friday, Dec. 13, Fans of the hip-hop improv comedy MTV show “Wild ‘N Out” won’t want to miss its live edition in Baltimore. Presented by Nick Cannon, the show will feature some of your favorite cast members.Station North Holiday Market, Saturday, Dec. 14, 12:30 p.m. — 5:30 p.m., Historic North Avenue Market. The festive outdoor/indoor market with Baltimore-based artists, makers, local food and drink, pop-ups, and live performances takes place for one day only, 12-30 W. North Avenue, between Maryland and Charles Streets.The United States Army Field Band: Sound the Bells, Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday, Dec. 15, 2 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. Kick off the holiday season with a joyous concert hosted by WBAL-TV’s Jason Newton and featuring Baltimore’s own Singing Sensations Youth Choir. Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, Thursday, Dec. 19, doors open at 7 p.m., event starts at 8 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. Fourteen musicians will perform rock and metal music selections, illuminated by candlelight.A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage, Friday, Dec. 20, 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. Watch the classic animated television special come to life in this faithful stage adaptation as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts characters uncover the true meaning of Christmas. Baltimore’s Holiday Spectacular, Friday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 21, 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Pops conductor Stuart Chafetz returns to the BSO to conduct the annual Holiday Spectacular, which will feature special guest artists, audience sing-a-longs, and the ever-popular tap dancing Santas. Snowy Days, Saturday, Dec. 21, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, Maryland Science Center. Whether or not Maryland gets actual snow this winter, you can explore some cool arctic-themed activities at the science center.Child’s Play Christmas Chaos, Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m., doors at 7p.m., Baltimore Soundstage. Featuring two original members from their 1983 lineup, Baltimore-based Child’s Play will stop by Baltimore Soundstage with special guests Cinder Road for a rockin’ night of chaos.A Christmas Carol for Edgar Allan Poe, Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m., Fells Point Corner Theatre. What if “A Christmas Carol” was written about America’s greatest writer of horror and suspense? That’s the premise of this brand new script that will be presented as a staged reading, in workshop for full production of the show in 2025! The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre wants your reaction and feedback. Tickets are available here.WWE LIVE Holiday Tour, Saturday, Dec. 28, doors open at 6 p.m., event begins at 7:30 p.m., CFG Bank Arena. Watch the performers of World Wrestling Entertainment throw down in this live event.Midnight Noon, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Maryland Science Center. Want to celebrate the new year without having to stay awake past your bedtime? Well, you’re in luck! You can participate in festive activities and games; explore science exhibits; enjoy music from the Rainbow Rock Band; and celebrate with a ball drop at noon.