Photo: Clockwise from top left--Strum and Twang, Brass Monkeys, Do As The French Do and Sacred Season

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS Just in case you're in need of holiday cheer, here are some events that'll get you in the mood. Thursday lights up with Monterey's Christmas in the Adobes, where hosts in period costumes help transport visitors into another time via a self-guided tour of 21 historical adobes scattered throughout downtown. Tours run from 5-9pm today and Saturday; tickets are $13 for adults and $2 for kids and can be purchased at the Cooper Museum Store or Bay Books. 647-6226. Also Thursday (and Friday) from 6-9pm is the Santa's Land event in Salinas, a game similar to Candyland but with a live-action Christmas theme and children standing in for the game pieces. Prices vary. El Dorado Park, 1655 El Dorado Dr. 758-7900. Friday Seaside hosts a Holiday Fantasy at City Hall from 4:30 to 8:30pm, with the opportunity to play in "snow" and enjoy bounce houses, a petting zoo and hayrides. The tree lighting is set for 6pm and Santa is expected to visit, making this a fun place to drag the kids. 440 Harcourt St. 899-6805. Monterey celebrates its Mexican heritage Friday with La Posada, a candlelight procession with Mary, Joseph, their flocks and a mariachi band wending its way through the downtown streets. The posse heads out at 6:30pm from the Monterey Conference Center at One Portola Plaza, and ends up back there later for a pinata party. Bring the whole family, along with candles and flashlights. 646-3866. Saturday the fun continues with public rides in Santa's sleigh in downtown Monterey from noon to 2pm. Boarding begins at Monterey Antiques and gifts at 449 Alvarado St. And if you haven't seen enough of Santa, the old dude in red will touch down by helicopter at Carmel Valley Airport today around11am. The annual Santa Parade will proceed from the airport through Carmel Valley Village to the Community Center at 25 Ford Rd. Kids can ride on fire trucks, visit with Santa, and buy all kinds of refreshments. [KF]

thursday 12|12

Suite Sounds

THE NUTCRACKER SUITE Here's something for the kind of people who like to get right to the center of the Oreo. Hartnell College is performing "The Nutcracker Suite," the part of Tchaikovsky's ballet that everybody loves the most--"Chinese Dance," "Arabian Dance," "Waltz of the Flowers," "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and all the other short, enchanting tunes that people know well enough to whistle. Dancers from Jeanne Robinson Dance Arts will perform the solos. Afterward the Hartnell College Community Orchestra will perform works by Mussorgsky, Bach and others, including holiday faves "Greensleeves" and "Winter Wonderland." Special note: for those with a yen to see The Nutcracker in its entirety, DanceKids of Monterey County is performing it Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon at the Golden Bough Theatre (624-3729). [TRH]

7:30pm. Hartnell College Main Stage, 156 Homestead, Salinas. Free. 755-6816

friday 12|13

Cowboy Up

MONTEREY COWBOY POETRY AND MUSIC FESTIVAL The high, lonesome harmonies, the dry, folksy wit; this annual festival of Wild-Western culture brings everything except the trail dust and the ponies and the deep blue starry sky--all of which will be there in spirit. See story and schedule, page 38. [AG]

Fri-Sun. Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey. $15-$30. 649-4234.

Circle Of Friends

WOMEN'S CIRCLE GATHERING HOSTS MYSTIC In need of a spiritual boost? Feel out of touch with the Mother Spirit? Andrew Harvey, widely praised visionary, holds a book-signing and lecture today at 7pm and a workshop Saturday from 9:30am-4pm. He will implement methods to help us women folk uncover our sacred passion through Sufi, Christian and Tibetan traditions. Men are welcome at this event, although one assumes masculine aggression has to be checked at the door. Harvey, we can also assume, knows what he's talking about, as an Oxford Scholar and the author of over 30 books. Socialite Gloria Vanderbilt describes him as "a glorious spirit--a messenger from the Divine." Come, learn, enjoy, connect with the spiritual. [KF]

Book signing at the Carmel Art Association Gallery on Dolores St. between 5th and 6th, Carmel. Free. Lecture follows at Asilomar Conference grounds, Heather Conference Room, Pacific Grove, $25. Saturday workshop is also at Asilomar and costs $150. Space is limited, deposit required. 622-7518 or 622-7211.

Funky Latin Rhythm

ANGELINA Way before anybody knew who Ricky Martin was, before J. Lo had even thought of shaking that famous butt, Angelina was making her infectious dance beats heard. Find out about Angelina for yourself at Planet Gemini tonight. See article pg 48. [KF]

10:30pm (after comedy). Planet Gemini, 625 Cannery Row, Monterey. 373-1317.

Ensemble On Fire

BURNING RIVER BRASS You may have heard them already on NPR, in movie soundtracks, or on one of their discs. The Burning River Brass is a mix of trumpets, horns, trombones and percussion gaining national acclaim. This weekend, they'll be performing in Pacific Grove with a song list sure to get you in the Holiday spirit: tunes from The Nutcracker, "Away in a Manger," "Winter Wonderland" and "The Christmas Song." The event is hosted by the Carmel Music Society, which is in its 76th season. [AS]

8pm. Pacific Grove Middle School, 835 Forest Ave. Tickets are $15 for students and $25 or $35 for adults. For information or tickets, call 625-9938.

saturday 12|14

Book of the Dead

BOOKSIGNING FOR A LONG STRANGE TRIP San Francisco author Dennis McNally did something right: he got a Ph.D. in history, fenagled his way into a position as the official historian of the Grateful Dead, then became the band's head publicist. The fruit of all this labor is A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead, written by someone who--hey!--actually knows the inside history of the Grateful Dead. McNally's 600-page tome bubbles over with details about the band's exhilarating and sometimes troubled ride, including gossip about the bandmembers' complex relationships. Hailed as the definitive Dead book by expert fans from Owsley "Bear" Stanley to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, McNally's oeuvre got the ultimate thumbs-up from the band's drummer, Mickey Hart: "McNally is the only one who could tell this sordid and strange story." Tonight McNally reads from and signs copies of his book. [TRH]

6pm. Thunderbird Bookstore, The Barnyard, Hwy 1 and Rio, Carmel. Free. 624-1803.

Fa La La La La

I CANTORI DI CARMEL CONCERT This choral group has been the gold standard in vocal music on the Peninsula since its inception in 1981, when Dr. Sal Ferrantelli, music director for MPC, drew together a talented group of singers to take on demanding musical works. Gounod's Messa Chorale will be the crown jewel of the weekend's performances, with works by Bach, Byrd, Tchaikovsky and others glittering along with it. As a special treat, audiences will get an encore presentation of Dr. Ferrantelli's Ave Maria. [TRH]

8:30pm Saturday and Sunday, Carmel Mission Basilica, Carmel, and 8pm Monday, First United Methodist Church, Sunset & 17-Mile Drive, Pacific Grove. $18/$25. 644-8012.

tuesday 12|17

'Twas The Night

MARYLEE'S CHRISTMAS CONCERTS Songstress MaryLee Sunseri weaves her magic today and Saturday with three 45-minute shows aimed at the very young (under 10) set. They'll sing "Jingle Bells," they'll read The Night Before Christmas, they'll do a sign-language version of "Silent Night," and there will be all kinds of kid-oriented holiday fun. "It's not religious," Sunseri insists. "But we'll have Santa and Rudolph and sleigh bells and 'You Better Watch Out,' and it will be very joyful and interactive." Five Christmas dinosaurs will be on hand, and MaryLee will have her new CD, Little Christmas, for sale. [SF]

10:30am and 6pm today, 4pm Dec.17. Children's Experimental Theater/Indoor Forest Theater, Santa Rita and Mountain View, Carmel. $6, babies are free. Reserve at 649-1790 or email pipergrove@aol.com.

wednesday 12|18

Sex, Murder and Soggy Cornflakes

TAT'S FALL CAPSTONE FESTIVAL Part of CSUMB's innovative degree program includes the requirement that seniors complete a "Capstone" project before graduation, and that this project be of use to the larger community. In the Institute for Teledramatic Arts and Technology--the department called "drama" at most of the world's universities--those projects take the form of a semi-annual Capstone Festival, where fourth-year students perform their plays, dance their dances, project their video and teledramatize their...whatever. Tonight's the night when it all happens. Expect three hours of film, video, audio design and live performance from the newest crop of student producers, and find out what sex, murder and cornflakes have to do with it all. [SF]

7-10pm. CSUMB's World Theater, Sixth Ave., Seaside. Free. 582-582-4580.

Lighting Up The Mission

JOYEUX NOEL Bundle up in cozy winter garb, pretend there's snow outside and admire the stained-glass windows at the Carmel Mission Basilica while listening to Christmas tunes by candlelight. Tonight and tomorrow the Monterey Symphony is presenting its popular holiday program, conducted by Symphony Chorus director Leroy Kromm. This year's program, Joyeux Noel, A Symphony Christmas in Candlelight, is composed of all French music. It includes selections from Camille Saint-Saën's Christmas Oratorio, Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Song of the Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Jules Massenet's Meditation from his opera, "Thaïs" with Symphony concertmaster William Barbini, Charles Gounod's Ave Maria with counter-tenor Foster Soommerlad and harpist Karen Thielen. and traditional French carols. The Symphony Brass Ensemble will perform music by Francois Couperin, Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean Joseph Mouret. William and Kineko Barbini will perform Jean Marie Leclair's Sonata for Two Violins in C Major. [JL]

8pm tonight and Thursday, Dec. 19. Carmel Mission Basilica, Rio Road and Lasuen Drive, Carmel. $20-$40/adults. $10/children 10 and under. No tickets will be sold at the door. 624-8511 or 800-698-1138.