We sure like to celebrate the holidays here in town. Following is a guide to some upcoming holiday parties, shows, races and events in Madison (I’m curious to see the chaos of two different races on the Capitol Square on the same day):

Shows

• The Mannheim Steamroller Christmas takes place Nov. 28 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $35-$99.
• A Madison Symphony Christmas will perform Dec. 2-4 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $16-$87.
• “A Christmas Carol” runs Dec. 10-23 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $26-$56.
• “The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 10-26 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $10-$65.
• A John Waters Christmas begins at 8 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Barrymore. Tickets are $38-$115.

Parties

• Magnet Holiday Party: A Speakeasy Soirée is held Dec. 1 at Old Sugar Distillery. Tickets are $25-$40.
• The Mad Men Holiday Soiree runs Dec. 3 at the Majestic. Tickets are $35/advance, $40/door.
• The Club 201 Holiday Party with the Madison Symphony Orchestra is held on Dec. 3 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $35.
• The 80s vs. 90s Christmas Sweater Ball begins at 9 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Majestic. Tickets are $5.

Races

• The Santa Swimsuit Run and Beach Party takes place Dec. 3 starting at Whiskey Jack’s. Fee is $25.
• Run, Santa, Run 5K takes place Dec. 3 on the Capitol Square. Fee is $35.
• The Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis is held on Dec. 10 at Verona High School.

Other Events

• The Holiday Fantasy in Lights runs Nov. 19-Jan. 2 at Olin Park. Admission is free.
• Tudor Holiday Dinners with the Philharmonic Chorus of Madison take place Dec. 7-11 at Union South. Tickets are $48.50-$58.50.
• The Holiday Shopping Extravaganza runs Dec. 10-11 at the Alliant Energy Center. Free admission with non-perishable food donation.
• Holiday Express runs Dec. 3-31 (except Dec. 25) at Olbrich Gardens. Tickets are $3-$5.
• Christmas Brew ‘N View with the movies “Home Alone,” “Gremlins” and “Elf” showing respectively Dec. 13-15 at the Majestic. Tickets are $6/advance, $8/door.

This post is guest-written by Allison Wallner.

Being that caffeine is the substance of my mornings, I happily accepted the invitation to The LAB team’s Caffeine Crawl – Madison. This was the 52nd crawl for the LAB team and consisted of five routes and an after party. I held off on my morning caffeine ritual and chose the last route, which took place from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27.

We started out at Infusion Chocolates at Hilldale. In need of caffeine, I was glad to be greeted with a selection of iced coffee drinks. The Maya Iced Chocolate had a smooth, velvety chocolate taste followed by some spice. Meanwhile, a honey lavender chocolate caught my eye and did not disappoint.

Madison Sourdough stole the show for me with a demonstration of how coffee can be used within desserts. The stop included three samples for guests to try.

The Chocolate Espresso Opera Cake’s beautiful and precise design grabbed my attention right when I walked in. The layered dessert consisted of white cake, espresso powder and layers of chocolate all made in-house. It blended together wonderfully without being too sweet and having that kick of espresso. This is their most popular dessert, and I can now see (and taste) why!

The Caffeine Crawl also hustled through 5th Element Coffee, Cargo Coffee, Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier and Crescendo Espresso Bar & Music Café.

It was recommended to bring along water, and I can vouch for that. I took part in the route with the most chocolate tastings, and it turned out to be too much sweet for me. Still, I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at some of Madison’s local businesses. Be on the lookout, The LAB team hopes to return to Madison next year.