It is that time of year again. Christmas is rapidly approaching and nothing is worse than scrambling to find Christmas gifts, plan a Christmas dinner, or entertain yourself, so this year the Marionette is giving you a guide for Christmas gifts, food, and activities.

Around this time every year OKC comes alive with lights, music, and holiday snow tubing at the Bricktown Ballpark. This year Downtown in December is packed with fun things to do. From skating at the Devon Ice Rink located at the Myraid Botanical Gardens, to taking advantage of Free Museum Sundays, everyone is sure to find something entertaining to do. You can even have breakfast with Santa in the Myraid Botanical Gardens, or take a free water taxi ride. Make sure to keep an eye out for Sonic’s Santa that will be riding around Bricktown on his Segway delivering treats to kids and adults.

If you enjoy music and theater you can satisfy all your Christmas preforming arts needs right here in OKC. “The Nutcracker,” presented by the Oklahoma City Ballet and the OKC Philharmonic, will be taking place at the Civic Center Music Hall December 7-9 and 14-16. For even more music you can catch the Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Lost Christmas Eve on Saturday December 8, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. In addition, the Cirque du Soleil’s “Drailon” will be coming to the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday, December 21.

If just hanging out looking at lights is more your thing then TravelOK.com has got a full list of the best light displays in the state: http://www.travelok.com/article_page/top-holiday-light-displays-in-oklahoma.

One of the most loved and most dreaded parts of Christmas is gift shopping. Don’t worry! We at the Marionette are here to make sure that you don’t stress about where to shop or what to shop for. Gifts.com has a large selection of gifts for everyone in your family. From 12 months of the jerky of the month club to a personalized name photo collage frame, they have gifts in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges.

In addition Target.com has a gift finder to assist you in picking out the best gift for whoever you’re shopping for. For the geek in your life be sure to check out ThinkGeek.com, which has gifts from favorite shows and movies such as Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, Star Trek and Doctor Who. With the assistance of these websites and stores you might just be a Christmas Shopping Expert by the end of the season.

Now, for this reporter’s favorite part of Christmas: THE FOOD.  This year, FoodNetwork.com and AllRecipes.com have got your Christmas brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert covered with recipes that will satisfy even the pickiest eater.

From sticky toffee pudding and white chocolate bark, to roasted rack of lamb and lemon-herb turkey, whether you have a sweet tooth or like your meal more on the savory side, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for with these recipes.

Full links to the events, and websites listed above can be found at the end of this article.

From everyone at the Marionette we wish you a safe and happy holiday season!

For ice skating, snow tubing, breakfast with Santa, Segway Santa, water taxi rides, free museum Sundays and more checkout Downtown in December here: http://www.downtownindecember.com/

For more information on OKC Ballet’s The Nutcracker look here: http://www.downtownindecember.com/OklahomaCityBalletsTheNutcracker.aspx

For more information on the Trans- Siberian Orchestra and Cirque Du Soleil’s Drailon look here: http://www.chesapeakearena.com/events/?page=calendar&event_list=1

For help with gifts check out these websites: http://www.gifts.com/christmas, http://www.target.com/c/gift-finder/-/N-5o5g7#?lnk=HEROCONTAINER|HEROCONTAINER&intc=851052|null, http://www.thinkgeek.com/holiday2012/

For recipes and cooking hints look here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/holiday-central-christmas/package/index.html, http://allrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-events/christmas/?src=mer714