All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (very December), to Christmas movies, to words, to Korean cinema, to hockey, to spiked egg nog...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny, but cold -- highs in mid 20s.

Tuesday: Sunny and low 30s.

Wednesday: Some sun, upper 30s.

Thursday: Probably some rain and snow, highs around 40.

Friday: Some sun, maybe some snow -- highs in the upper 30s.

Very December.

Christmas movies

Christmas Vacation
Monday: The Palace is screening National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the Chevy Chase classic.
Monday 7 pm -- $5

It's a Wonderful Life
Friday: The Palace is screening It's a Wonderful Life. The theater is an old movie house, so catching the holiday classic there is kind of like seeing it when it was first released. Friday 7 pm -- $5<

Words

Front Parlor
Monday: The Front Parlor storytelling series is back at the Olde English in Albany. This month's theme is "Pushing the Limits." Monday 7:30 pm

Nitty Gritty
Tuesday: The Nitty Gritty Poetry Slam series returns to The Low Beat. 7 pm

Camelot

Tuesday-Saturday: This is the last week for Capital Rep's production of Camelot. Blurbage:

The four-time Tony® Award-winning musical, with one of the richest scores of the Broadway song book, tells the story of the legendary King Arthur, who rules his kingdom with new ideals, bringing peace to a troubled land. This lusty, romantic tale is sure to inspire audiences with a celebrated score that includes the classics "If Ever I Would Leave You," "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "How to Handle a Woman" and the title song, "Camelot."

It looks like some of the performances are sold out, so check ahead. Tuesday-Saturday -- $25 and up

Taffy and spiked egg nog

Tuesday: The popular "Social Media" crafts-and-drinks series at the Arts Center of the Capital Region returns with a pull-your-own-taffy night and spiked egg nog. Tuesday 5 pm -- $25

Hockey

Wednesday: The Albany Devils take on the Binghamton Senators at the TU Center. 7 pm -- $15 and up

Korean cinema

A handful of well-reviewed recent Korean films are playing at Proctors this week:

The Handmaiden
Tuesday-Wednesday: Proctors is showing Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden,"a gripping and sensual tale of two women - a young Japanese Lady living on a secluded estate, and a Korean woman who is hired to serve as her new handmaiden, but is secretly plotting with a conman to defraud her of a large inheritance." It's very good reviews. Also: "No one under 18 admitted due to scenes of artful, yet explicit sexuality." Tuesday 6:30 pm and Wednesday 7 pm -- $9

Train to Busan + The Wailing
Thursday: The It Came From Schenectady series is showing a horror double feature: the zombie film Train to Busan and the virus mystery The Wailing. The first has been praised as a first-class straight-up zombie flick, and the other's gotten acclaim for its weirdness and atmosphere. Thursday 6:30 pm -- $9 / $6 students

Skating

The ice skating rink at the ESP recently opened, and if you're looking for some midweek fun, you might think about stopping by for an evening skate (or day skate, depending on your schedule). The rink is open Monday-Sunday 11 am-8 pm (closed 3-4 pm for maintenance). It's free to skate. Skate rentals are $4 / $3 for kids / free on Fridays.

Swinburne: The city of Albany's Swinburne Skating Rink also recently opened for the season.

Christmas and Hanukkah

They're both coming up later this week, of course, so it's a slow week for events.

Hanukkah
The Jewish holiday Hanukkah begins at sunset Saturday and runs through sundown on January 1. Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE, and a miracle in which a supply of oil only large enough to burn for one night lasted for eight -- thus the eight nights of Hanukkah..

Christmas
And Christmas is Sunday. Christians will be celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Many of the related aspects of the holiday have roots that stretch back to traditions that pre-date Christianity, to the Romans and groups in northern Europe. And a lot of those celebrations centered in part on this fact: The day with the shortest daylight of the year just happened -- the winter solstice is this Wednesday -- and the days get longer from here. Cheers for that.

To do list

1. Finalize plans and prep for Christmas cooking/entertaining/visiting/travel.

2. If you're thinking about going out on New Year's Eve, it's a good idea to line up reservations. (Don't wait.)

3. Spend time with family and friends.
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These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Look for out "Stuff to do this weekend" list for the upcoming weekend on Friday.

Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

AOA is a media sponsor of the ESP skating rink.