While visions of sugarplums danced...

It's been a long time coming (because retailers have been decorated for what seems like months) but the holidays really are right around the corner. Now, more than ever, its the greatest time of year to enjoy every performance from street musicians to ballerinas around the city. So, grab your roasted chestnuts and find some of the most festive places to be around Boston:

• Nov. 26, 10am-4pm: 1 Maryland St., Savin Hill: Savin Hill Christmas Market 
• Nov. 27, 3pm: TD Garden: Trans-Siberian Orchestra*
• Nov. 30, 7pm-10pm: Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake: Rattlin' Around the Christmas Tree
• Dec. 2, 7pm: The Footlight Club: A Carol Christmas
• Dec. 2, 9pm: Marriot Copley Place: The 25th Annual SnowBall*

• Dec. 3, 10am-4pm: Hill House: Holiday Tree and Wreath Sale
• Dec. 3, 11am-5pm: First Church, Jamaica Plain: Holiday Fair 
• Dec. 3, 1pm: Fanieul Hall Marketplace: 12 Bars of Christmas*
• Dec. 3-18: Wheelock Family Theater: Urban Nutcracker*
• Nov. 25-Dec. 31: Boston Opera House: Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker*

Boldness denotes family-friendly activity.
Star/ * denotes COMSOpolitique recommendation.

We wish you a merry Christmas!

For more holiday ideas, visit Boston.com

Be Scene!

Another weekend is on the way and you're in need of a new watering hole. You'd try something hip but you don't know where to start. Lucky for you Boston.com does!

Meet "Spotted", your new go-to archive for "the faces and places that make up Boston's vibrant nightlife scene". Since August, Boston.com has been tracking the whereabouts of night owls all over the city from swanky South End hot spots to bootlegger parties in Jamaica Plain. Whether you're the type that prefers a concert at a venue like the MFA courtyard or a themed party at a stylish club like Royale, there's something for everyone who wants to venture out.

Ranked 11th in 2009 by Forbes for best nightlife (coming in just behind Miami!), Boston's culture, "coolness" and celebrity fan base (like actor Anthony Michael Hall, model Cameron Russell and comedian Dane Cook) has sky-rocketed it to fame on the silver screen as well as the party scene. But it not always a party here. A quick glance though the Spotted archive proves that being more casual is what some Bostonians do best. (And they look good doing it too!)

But wanna know the best part? Spotted takes suggestions from readers in search of the best places to be and be seen! Offer up your favorite spots and you might just make it into the gallery. Plus, you never know who you'll end up rubbing elbows with!

Get Intimate with Cameron Russell

For the fashion faithful, the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show is a sparkly, ethereal explosion of beautifully mastered lingerie designs. Along with surprise musical guests and V.I.P.'s, many look forward to the new faces that grace the catwalk in search of the underwear empire's next big thing. This year, Bostonians need look no further than brunette beauty Cameron Russell.


Russell was born in Boston but raised in Cambridge. Her brush against fame came early, when she met then-President Bill Clinton at a speaking engagement at MIT. Clinton's words resounded in the young starlet's mind, inspiring her to make the most of her schooling and relationships with people. 


While vacationing in Maine, Russell was discovered at 16 by a retired agent and a year later signed to the prestigious Ford Models agency. Graduate of the Commonwealth School in Back Bay, Russell has worked with agencies such as Ford Models, DNA Model Management and Women Management and has been the subject of Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, and Nick Knight in projects for Vogue, Paris Vogue and Vogue Italia (to name a few).


For a city that's notorious for dropping r's at the ends of words, Russell will likely have jaws dropping November 29th when she debuts as a fresh face for the Victoria's Secret lineup. Even though she resides in New York, we can still love a girl who's known for her smile and interest in kung fu.

With extensive advertising campaigns and couture runway experience under her belt, that dirty water seems  to be working just fine for Miss Russell. Be sure to tune into CBS for the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 29th at 10 pm EST!

For more on Cameron Russell...