The best thing to happen to the holidays in Boston since Boston Ballet got kicked out of the Wang? That'd be THE SLUTCRACKER, Babes in Boinkland's instant-classic burlesque retelling of the classic Christmas ballet. We went apeshit for it when it debuted last year, and so did everyone else -- the production sold out its opening weekend and had to add extra shows.

The Slutcracker, the holiday burlesque show that whisks the audience away to a carefree realm of sexual fantasy, has been such a hit with festive hornball audiences that creator/director Vanessa "Sugar Dish" White has added two more shows -- Friday Dec. 19 and Saturday Dec. 20, 8 pm at the Somerville Theatre.

And now for something completely different. Just before Thanksgiving, the Celtics handed over control of the halftime festivities to the Boston Ballet, who opted not to come out with a straight-up preview of their annual cash cow but instead offered a newly-choreographed routine outside their comfort zone.