The V Side: Six ways to celebrate, before it’s too late

The V Side presents these entertainment options for the holiday-minded, from NolaVie. So stop shopping. Go have some fun.

THURSDAY / Tea and sympathy: Wrap up pre-season planning with a glass of champagne and/or a cup of tea, an historic house decked in twinkling lights and festive greenery at a Holiday Tea and Tour, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Longue Vue House and Gardens, 7 Bamboo Road. Tickets are $35, available here.

Victory Belles sing seasonally at WWII Museum.

THURSDAY / Belle weather: The Victory Belles sing a musical salute to the season, with such time-honored classics as “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” “Santa Baby,” “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” and a stocking-full more, at the Stage Door Canteen in the National WWII Museum, 945 Magazine St. At press time, tickets were available to the noon Thursday show; click here to purchase.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY / Seasonal strolls: Of course Celebration in the Oaks is a must-do. But don’t forget the magic in Metairie, too. Holiday in the Park, at Lafreniere Park, 3000 Downs Blvd., Metairie, offers more than a dozen new lighted displays to complement the seasonal exhibits donated by the Al Copeland family. Entrance fee is $3 per vehicle (entry at W. Napoleon), and hours are 5:30 to 9:45 p.m. Thursday and 5:30 to 11:45 p.m.

FRIDAY / Jingle and jazz: A Creole Christmas, offered at 2 and 4 p.m. Friday at Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter St., marks the last of the venerable venue’s holiday concerts showcasing traditional jazz in an authentic setting with seasonal flair. $12 admission.

Catch Santa at the French Market Famers Market.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY / To market, to market: Last-minute shopping and revelry mix nicely at Holiday at the Market, at the historic French Market Farmers Market. Kids can visit with Santa daily from noon to 4 p.m. through Christmas Eve, while older folk can browse the flea market finds nearby. And if you’re still working on that seasonal menu, check out the free cooking demonstrations at 2 p.m. Thursday (Zack Lemann of Audubon Insectarium) and Friday (Chad Penedo of Court of Two Sisters).

SATURDAY / Hot time on the levee: High water in the Mississippi River threatened to dampen this year’s Bonfires on the Levee, but officials green-lighted the tradition earlier this month. So a couple of hundred bonfires will be lighted at 7 p.m. Saturday along River Road in St. James Parish. The aim is to help Papa Noel find his way downriver on Christmas Eve, but we, of course, are the ones who have all the fun.

The V Side presents offbeat entertainment every Thursday at NolaVie.