See, shop and make this holiday season

By Meredith Deliso

Sure, you can go see the Rockettes or get a photo in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center. But this December, Brooklyn has lots to offer on the holiday front, from a unicycling Santa to a gingerbread house workshop.

Check out our guide for performances not to be missed, holiday markets to find cool duds for your friends and family, and workshops to make some gifts yourself (and don't miss our family guide to holiday events happening in your neighborhood).

SEE

Radio City may have a flying Santa and sleigh, but Brooklyn has ice-skating in mid-air and a burlesque Secret Santa show. These holiday spectaculars and parties are not to be missed.

The 12 Acts of Christmas
Saturday, December 19-Sunday, December 20
Galapagos Art Space (16 Main St.)8 p.m. Dec. 19/3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20
$20 ($15 for children and seniors)

The 12 Acts of Christmas, from the aerial theater troupe Suspended Cirque, quite literally takes holiday traditions to new heights. This fanciful new holiday show features ice maidens on a triangle trapeze, a ribbon dancing Nutcracker, ice-skating in mid-air, a live musical rendition of “Sleigh Ride” like you’ve never heard before, a drunken Sugar Plum, and even Santa on a unicycle. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

The Desk Set’s Biblioball
Friday, December 11
The Bell House (149 7th St.)
8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
$20 in advance/$25 at the door; includes one raffle ticket

Chances are you’re not having an office party this year. Celebrate then with the bibliophiles of the Desk Set at their Biblioball, a winter formal fancy pants dance party and fundraiser (all proceeds go to Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, which provides books and programming to incarcerated and court-involved youth). So get dolled up (or not – it’s not strictly black tie) and party with a purpose. Featuring emcees Sarah Simms and Robert Sullivan, with music from The Hungry March Band, Nine 11 Thesaurus, Living Days (picture), The Lucky Chops Brass Brand, and many, many DJs.

Snow White
Saturday, December 12-Sunday, January 17
Company XIV (303 Bond St.)
All shows at 3 p.m.

Brooklyn-based theater-dance troupe Company XIV, known for their scintillating productions, bring family-friendly fare to the borough this season with their holiday show “Snow White” (alongside revivals of their adult shows “Le Serpent Rouge” and “The Judgment of Paris”). The company’s version of the classic fairy tale features opera, dance, and puppetry. The baroque opera trio Charities also joins the cast, providing haunting and beautiful arias by Handel and Bellini as well as Yiddish folk songs and original compositions.

The Secret Santa Show
Thursday, December 21
Public Assembly (70 N. 6th St.)
10 p.m.
$10

For less wholesome fun, there’s Sweet and Nasty Burlesque’s Secret Santa Show, a holiday show with all the trimmings (or lack there of), with performances by local burlesque beauties Anita Cookie, Clams Casino, Gal Friday, and Gigi La Femme, as well as Doc Wasabassco himself. Acts will be assigned by picking names from a hat (just like a Secret Santa). “It’ll be just like those horrible office party Secret Santa things,” says host Nasty Canasta, “except instead of TGI Friday’s gift certificates, there’ll be gorgeous and talented women getting naked in some truly amazing ways.” Yep, definitely not like the usual office party.

SHOP

Beyond the usual suspects (Brooklyn Indie Market, Artists & Fleas, Brooklyn Flea), markets are popping up all over Brooklyn this winter, in time for the holiday shopping season. Here’s a look at some temporary newcomers coming up, and some new favorites:

The (Makers) Market
Sundays
(OA) Can Factory (232 3rd St.)
11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Free admission

More than 30 vendors bring you handmade jewelry, clothes, art, soaps and even violins every Sunday at this Gowanus market, which has a focus on art and design. Each week a different vendor even creates a product live, so you can see the process first hand.

The 2009 Handmade Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday, December 12
3rd Ward (195 Morgan Ave.)
Noon to 9 p.m.
Free admission

The Williamsburg space will host a market featuring goods and treats from over 50 local artisans, craft mavens and culinary masters, with wares including everything from LED Hula hoops and dog costumes, to custom cut clothes and jewelry, furniture and vintage ware, cookies and chocolates, wrapping paper, pillows and body soaps, custom electronics and more. There will also be live music, treats, drinks and workshops.

Lyceum Holiday Market
Saturday, December 19, and Sunday, December 20
Brooklyn Lyceum (Fourth Avenue at President Street)
11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Free admission

Vendors offer handcrafted merchandise to fit any budget, size and taste. Whether for Chanukah, Christmas or Kwanzaa, you can find it all at the Park Slope venue’s second annual holiday market.

NYC Punk and Underground Record Fair
Sunday, December 20Public Assembly (70 North 6th St.)
Noon to 10 p.m.
$7 admission

Check out vinyl for your music loving friend, and hear some bands, too, at this Williamsburg record fair. In the backroom will be Ashers (members of the Unseen), Ultra Violence, Word for Word, Roadrage, Sexual Suicide, and Nothing But Enemies, while 20 tables will hawk their punk, power pop, DIY, new wave, metal and indie music where you can buy, sell or trade.

Craft Bazaar
Sunday, December 20
Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Ave.)
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free admission

Patchwork Crafts and Designs Presents the first annual Craft Bazaar at the Williamsburg venue. Find all your last minute unique handmade holiday gifts here. Plus, table proceeds will benefit the BARC (Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition) Shelter located in the neighborhood, so while helping yourself, you will also be helping our four-legged friends this holiday season as well.

MAKE

Brooklyn’s all about DIY, so do it yourself this holiday season and instead of buying clothes or cookies, make them yourself. These classes and events will only help inspire you.

Holiday Design-it-Yourself Clothes with Cal Patch
Thursday, December 10
Word (126 Franklin St.)
7:30 p.m.

In “Design-It-Yourself Clothes,” former Urban Outfitters designer Cal Patch brings her youthful aesthetic to a how-to book, which teaches the art of patternmaking in five key projects – a perfect-fitting dress, T-shirt, button-down shirt, A-line skirt, and pants. For this holiday-themed event at the Greenpoint book store, Patch will do a demo on how to take proper measurements — the first step in creating personalized gifts that fit perfectly.

Gingerbread Houses Workshop
Tuesday, December 15
Brooklyn Labs (100 Frost St.)
6:30 p.m.

Katie Robinson makes great cakes — she has worked at some of the top bakeries in New York, and has been featured on two Food Network Cake Challenges. Here, she’s teaching you how to make gingerbread houses. Everyone will get to build a house, and decorate it under Katie’s expert tutelage. This class is decidedly hands-on, so you can bring your houses home.

Holiday Cookies Workshop
Brooklyn Labs (100 Frost St.)
Saturday, December 12 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
$10

Nearly all day you can be baking and decorating cookies in their main kitchen, Lab #1, at this drop-in event. $10 gets you a baker’s dozen, and advice from their very own Lila Dobbs, who will be standing by to answer all your cookie-related queries, and offer holiday baking tips.

Brooklyn Cookie Takedown
Sunday, December 20
The Bell House (149 7th St.)
6:30 p.m.
$10

More than 30 different cookie recipes are expected at this Brooklyn bake-off, brought to you by the same people behind the Chili Takedown. For $10, try all the cookies and vote for the best, as well as gain some inspiration along the way from the amateur chefs for your own holiday batch. Or, enter yourself by e-mailing mtimms7@hotmail.com and show off your own inspired creation.