6:30 and 8:30pm, the Big Barn, Mission Ranch, 26270 Dolores, Carmel. $33.50 general; $53.50 front row. 624-6436.

Visions Of  Sugarplums And Monsters: CANDY CANE LANE The thing about Christmas-light cruising is that one feels obliged to have a kid in hand or risk being arrested for prowling. This holiday season, let go of your shame. Stroll proudly down Pacific Grove''s Candy Cane lane, admiring the house-sized, moving nutcracker at the corner of Beaumont and McFarland avenues. Slow down in front of the lawn decor--Monsters, Inc.''s one-eyed Mike Wazowski, Cruella DeVille from 101 Dalmatians, and the more traditional Frosty and Rudolph--with or without a car full of tykes. Or cheat: dress Fido in a bonnet and a sleeper, stuff him in a stroller or a baby car seat and admire the lights.

Nightly at dark. Homes in the blocks around Beaumont Ave. and Morse Dr. at Forest Ave., Pacific Grove.

Can-Do Attitude: CANNED FOOD DRIVE Hey you. Yeah, you know who you are, raiding your pantry for beets and Spam and slyly depositing them into the Food Bank drop bins and calling it good. How about giving the good stuff this year? Like tuna fish, peanut butter, pasta, stew and soups. Okay, so Food Bank''s Teresa Ferrucci says they do like to receive canned meats, too, but what would you rather eat, canned tuna or canned beef hash? Food Bank barrels are out in full force to meet the needs of the many people who are down and out this year. They''re in front of Albertson''s and Long''s Drugs countywide, as well as at fire departments and libraries. Ferrucci adds that all of the Food Bank''s 128 agencies ask for pinto beans and rice. "We order 50-pound bags, and we ran out," she says. "Beans and rice are always appreciated." So are Christmas hams and turkeys, as well as money donations and volunteers. Volunteers receive a free box of food for helping out.

Donate food, money or time, 7:30am-4:30pm, Mon-Fri. Food Bank for Monterey County, 815 W. Market St., Suite 5, Salinas, or donate groceries at any Albertson''s, Long''s Drugs, fire station or library. 758-1523.

friday 12|21

A Newish New Thing: VERA Anyone who counts the Beatles, the Pretenders, Guided By Voices and Radiohead among their influences is okay by us. Vera''s original songs, many of them penned by lead guitarist Jim Chatterton, are marked by the kind of simple Beatlesesque riffs that get lodged in your head all week. Under the expert hands of drummer Steve Parmley and rhythm guitarist Dave Swartz they''re sped up, modernized and spun enough to remind you that you''re hearing a new thing. Singer and bassist Christina DeVito delivers the vocals like a talented alt-rock chick who remembered to grow up--no baby breath here, just a pure, confident melodic line.

9pm. Ocean Thunder, 219 Lighthouse, Monterey. 643-9169.

Altitude Adjustment: HIGH STREET There are times when it would be wrong to do anything but take yourself down to a local bar, slake your thirst with a tall foamy brew and let the band wash the week''s troubles away. If that band is a classic high-energy rock ''n'' roll outfit that occasionally makes a foray into funk and other musical territories, the recipe is bound to work. That''s why they made music like that played by High Street--listening to it just feels like the right thing to do.

9pm. Bluefin Cafe & Billiards, 685 Cannery Row, Monterey. 375-7000.

saturday 12|22

Grand Finale: Ballet Fantasque Okay, so maybe by some freak chance you missed all 57 productions of The Nutcracker in Monterey County this year. DON''T PANIC. There''s one more chance to see little Clara get her mind blown by the psychedelic world of the Nutcracker, one more shot at hearing Tchaikovsky''s incredible score (which, by the way, he disdained as his worst piece of work ever--proving once again that artists need agents), and one more opportunity to sink into that comfortable Christmasey suspension of disbelief that strikes many of us this time of year. This production by Ballet Fantasque features some great talent in the form of Seaside''s own Romi Rivera and onetime Oakland Ballet dancer David Bertlin performing the Snow Pas de Deux. In the roles of the Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier are guest stars Karen Connell and Nikolai Kabaniaev of Diablo Ballet. A host of local dancers--and members of the Rising Star Gymnastics team playing tumbling bats rather than mice--round out the cast. Matinee repeats on Sunday.

3pm and 8pm Saturday, 3pm Sunday. Santa Catalina School Performing Arts Center, Mark Thomas Dr, Monterey. $16/$14/$10. Tickets available at Bay Book and Books Inc on the Peninsula and Joy-Per''s Shoes in Salinas or by calling 372-0388.

Guajiras for World Peace: JUAN L. SANCHEZ ENSEMBLE Imagine if the Buena Vista Social Club turned its prodigious booty-shaking powers toward singing for peace, or if your favorite Latin fusion band took up the cudgels for the overworked and underpaid. That''s Pacific Grove''s own Juan L. Sanchez Ensemble in a nutshell. Our county''s only representative on the California Arts Council touring roster, JLS''s cosmopolitan brand of music blends danceability with socially conscious savvy, and features some very talented Central Coast musicians besides. Saxophonist Paul Contos, a Jazz Festival veteran who''s shared the stage with Dizzy Gillespie and Wayne Shorter, joins multi-instrumentalist Dayan Kai, a 27-year-old whiz who can work magic on the guitar, charango, trumpet, accordion and more. A great rhythm section keeps the energy high. This is a good chance to see these guys up close in an intimate venue.

8pm. Morgan''s Coffee & Tea, 498 Washington, Monterey. $10/$8. 655-5201.