Cougars & Mustangs 

Happy end of the semester—er, quarter, Mustangs! You made it! It’s a Christmas miracle! Your hard work paid off, and now you’re ready to relax and enjoy your time here on the beautiful, sunny Central Coast. Time to head to the beaches! Of course, it’s winter, so the anesthetizingly-cold water may not be your cup of tea—unless you drink ice tea and you like salt and millions of microbes in it. While you’re at the water’s sandy edge, though, you may as well seek out other staples of our region—such as the Great American Melodrama in Oceano, and its annual Holiday Extravaganza. The popular show, which begins with an adaptation of Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, follows said classic with a comedic fractured fairy tale opera, and ends with a Holiday Vaudeville Revue. It’s high-quality entertainment from a talented cast, and a great way to get in that difficult-to-describe Christmas spirit you’ve heard so many anonymous reports about. The Holiday Extravaganza runs until Dec. 31 at 1863 Front St. in Oceano. For more information, visit americanmelodrama.com.

Of course, if you’re the type to read everything before leaping in, then you shouldn’t have moved much further than the steaming-hot presses of our very own New Times building (presses not actually included), with your newfound weekly treasure in hand (I’ll assume you aren’t one of the small handful of people who picks these issues up at one of the widespread stands across the county). So as long as you’re on Marsh St., why not head on over to building 536 and enjoy the Historic Jack House’s Victorian Christmas?* Hot cider and cookies shall be served to visitors of this beautiful, antique building, and countless interesting snippets of SLO’s history shall be found amid the Victorian atmosphere. Tours are $5 per person, with children younger than 12 getting in free. Tours will be held Dec. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m., Dec. 8 from 5 to 8 p.m., and Dec. 9 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Well, Mustangs, congratulations on your achievement, and enjoy your break. More great seasonal events can be found in New Times’ very own Holiday Guide, which can be found on our website and at our office. As for you, Cougars, good luck with your own “dead week” and finals. I’ll see you next week.

*In my insistence upon stretching this extended metaphor far past what is sane, I’m assuming the reader is perusing this column on a Thursday and none of the presentations of the following event are on a Thursday.

Intern Chris White-Sanborn used to trim his Christmas trees with tinsel, but then he found that pruning shears were much more effective. Send your collegiate news to [email protected].