EAT

Dec. 16: Refugee and Immigrant Arts Feast

Space 2640, 2640 Saint Paul St. 4-7 p.m. Free.

Mera Kitchen Collective has been bringing locals of all ethnicities, heritages, and apetities together, and this Sunday, the worker-owned co-op will host its second annual arts feast to celebrate the culinary talents of its newest members. Following the collective’s mission of empowering refugees and immigrants through cooking, this festival for the senses will feature eats by first-time female refugee food vendors along with craft and art vendors from around the world.

DRINK

Dec. 15: Christmas Pajama Brunch

Don’t Know Tavern, 1453 Light St. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free.

Break out your candy cane onesie and snowflake slippers and head to Don’t Know Tavern for a Christmas morning-inspired brunch, featuring all-you-can-drink Bloody Marys, mimosas, and select beers. If you need an extra incentive to take on this Federal Hill pajama party, there will be presents under the Christmas tree for brunch-goers who indulge in bottomless drinks as well as a Toys for Tots gift drive.

SEE

Dec. 15: Old Goucher Design Open House

2219 Saint Paul St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.

We look forward to snagging signature prints and concert posters by local design powerhouse Post Typography every December during their annual studio sale. This year, they’ve upped the ante by inviting neighboring shops to help turn the one-day tradition into a full-blown shopping crawl. Spend the day in Old Goucher checking out the latest local designs and gifts at stores like Co_Lab Books, Fadensonnen, Baltimore Print Studios, Kelmscott Bookshop, Made in Baltimore Holiday Store, and, of course, Post Typography.

HEAR

Dec. 15: The Holiday Slay

Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St. 8 p.m. $10.

Whether he’s rapping songs like “Burfday Bitch” and “Rude” to a sold-out crowd or reading chapters of Omarosa Manugault Newman’s tell-all book on Facebook Live, DDm slays everything he does. This Friday, the local rapper and self-proclaimed Secretary of Shade will host this one-of-a-kind social with Christmas-inspired performances by opera-pop duo Outcalls, RoVo Monty, Randi & Infinity Knives, and beats by Trillnatured and DJ Sean J. For the main event, hear DDm give live readings of stories like A Charlie Brown Christmas and How The Grinch Stole Christmas as well as his own soon-to-be-classic—The Holiday Slay.

DO

Dec. 15: Baltimore SantaCon

E. Cross St. 12 p.m.-10 p.m. $8-15.

Santa Claus is coming to town a few weeks early this year. Don your fluffiest white beard and follow the crowd of St. Nick look-a-likes to East Cross Street in Federal Hill, where the neighborhood’s bustling main street will be filled with pop-up bars, drink specials, and tons of holiday cheer. Spend the day practicing your best “ho, ho, ho” and celebrating the season of giving during this one-day festival that benefits the Kamryn Lambert Foundation.

While most of the 21 sculptures that will line the Inner Harbor for the Light City Art Walk this weekend are flashy, multicolored installations, Baltimore’s Post Typography team chose to be more minimalistic in their approach—so much so, that passersby might not even notice the piece if they’re not paying attention.

Spearheaded by Post Typography cofounder Bruce Willen, artists at the Baltimore-based design agency veered slightly from their traditional medium of graphic design to create a light installation for the event, something the team had wanted to do since the festival started in Baltimore three years ago.

Two hundred light bulbs will be completely submerged in the harbor at various depths for their piece, “Some Thing in the Water,” which measures roughly 33,000 square feet.

“Once the lights are four to five feet down, you don’t even see them anymore,” Willen points out, also noting that the water quality varies from day to day, which will alter the piece along with it.

They used the murky water to their advantage.

Diffused blue lights, strung together with about six miles of wire, will glow from beneath the surface, giving the work an organic feel, as if it were a mysterious underwater creature—perhaps a giant luminescent jellyfish, Willen suggests, that appears to be breathing. The lights are programmed to blink, dim, and brighten so that at times they appear more energetic and frenzied, and at times there are quieter, more contemplative periods, like a symphony’s movements.

On that note, the piece will be set to an ambient soundtrack, created by Willen, who is also one half of the instrumental duo Peals.

Post Typography collaborated with PI.KL Studio architects for the project, and Figure 53 provided technical assistance, both of which are based in Baltimore.

Find “Some Thing in the Water,” stop No. 35 on the tour map, near the Pier 5 Hotel Baltimore, across from the National Aquarium. Listen to an audio tour of their piece by dialing 410-934-7821 and entering art installation code 14.

“A lot of the other pieces are more about the lights themselves,” Willen says. “We wanted to activate a space in the harbor—to actually activate the water itself as a medium. We wanted to take the harbor—the reason Baltimore exists—and use that as the canvas for the viewers’ imaginations.”

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

 EAT

December 16: S’mores, Stars, & the Winter Solstice

Lake Roland, 1000 Lakeside Dr. 6-8 p.m. $3-5. 410-887-4156.

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, we’re reminded of how quickly we’re approaching the next solstice and the official start of winter. Despite drop in temperature, celebrate this astronomical phenomenon with lessons about the night sky and folklore of holiday traditions. While you’re huddled beneath thick blankets, you can warm up by the bonfire at Lake Roland, roast some marshmallows, and assemble your own s’mores. This campfire classic—toasted mallow and melted chocolate sandwiched between crunchy graham crackers—will keep you cozy all night.

 DRINK

December 15: Comedy & Cocktails

Single Carrot Theatre, 2600 N. Howard St. 8-9:30 p.m. $10. 443-844-9253.

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and with 2017 going out in such a successfully stressful bang, we have to admit: We could really use a strong prescription. This Friday, Single Carrot is bringing us some relief with an evening of standup comedy with the added bonus of cocktails. Throw back some laughs with Baltimore’s up-and-coming comedians, including Peter Muth, Bryan Preston, and headliner Chelsea Shorte, at the intimate local theater located in Remington. And if you need help loosening up, take advantage of a free drink—be it spiked apple cider, special cocktails, Natty Boh, or wine. 

 SEE

December 16: Post Typography Print & Poster Sale

Post Typography, 2219 St. Paul St. 12-4 p.m. Free. 410-889-7469.

We don’t know about you, but we gush over beautiful typography and clean designs, especially those of concert-poster principal Post Typography. If you feel the same way, stop by the press’s Old Goucher studio this Saturday for its annual print and poster sale. Whether you’re looking to complete your office aesthetic or hunting for a reasonably priced gift, you’ll stumble upon a smorgasbord of artwork packed with personality, color, and fantastic fonts on everything from paper products to ephemera and apparel. They’ll certainly have the classic Bill Murray Groundhog Day movie poster (an oversized image of Murray made from thousands of pixelated Bills). But keep your eyes out for some specials, including a special Future Islands touring poster that doubles as a giant constellation chart, signed posters from the Maryland Film Festival, and out-of-print Double Dagger vinyl. Items can’t be reserved ahead of time, so make sure you’re one of the first to get there. 

 HEAR

December 16: 15 Years of Arbouretum

Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. 9 p.m. $10-12. 410-662-0069. 

Since 2002, this legendary quartet has captured local audiences with their intricate jams, profound and poetic lyrics, and distinctive brand of alternative rock. Even after a years-long hiatus, fans remained loyal and hoped for a comeback, which, luckily, they got. In March, the band unveiled Song of the Rose, an album comprised of eight tracks displaying their compelling sound. It led to star reviews and a jam-packed show at the Ottobar with listeners young and old. This Saturday, hear them live in celebration of 15 years of success, along with guests Television Hill and Stephen Strohmeier. While you’re there, don’t forget to pick up a limited-edition vinyl of their new record.

 DO

December 16: Holiday Heap

Space 2640, 2640 St. Paul St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

Choosing the right gift for someone can be a difficult task, but with everything being mass-produced these days, the answer is kind of obvious. There’s nothing better than giving or getting a one-of-a-kind gift, especially one that’s made right here in Baltimore. On Saturday, check things off your holiday with a medley of handmade goods crafted by more than 50 local and regional artists. If you need suggestions, check out the repurposed china necklaces made by The Broken Plate, vinegar-infused wellness tonics by Red Root & Co., popsicle-shaped crayons by A Childhood Store, and waxed Army duck canvas bags by Stitch & Rivet. You can even test out your own DIY skills and make your own gift at the Artists and Craftsman Supply’s craft demo. 

START FROM SCRATCH: My husband, Bruce [Willen], and I moved into the house in 2010 and had to do everything. There was no electricity, plumbing, or heating, so we did about a year of renovation before we could really move in.

MIX AND MATCH: Some of the furniture we got from Home Anthology, a store in Catonsville. We also have a lot of family pieces. It’s a real mix of things we have acquired along the way.

IN HOUSE: The couch is an old midcentury modern hand-me-down that’s usually covered in a quilt or two. The back cushion is upholstered with my screen-printed Radica fabric. We also have some curtains and an armchair upholstered with my fabric as well.

DESIGN DREAM: In the living room, we have vintage theater posters from Poland, which just seems to have exceptional graphic designers doing these posters.

WALL OF FACES: In the dining room, we have a portrait wall, which contains mostly portraits that friends and family have made for us. A friend of ours had a wedding and, instead of having a photographer, he had someone doing drawings of all of the guests, so we have one of them. The portrait wall is constantly evolving.

FROM CATHEDRAL TO CUPBOARD: The cabinets in the kitchen were all custom-made for us by Emmanuel Nikolaidis, who is a cabinetmaker here in town. The darker wood ones were actually made out of demolished church pews that we found.

IDIOSYNCRATIC ILLUMINATION: One year for Thanksgiving, all of the family came over but my grandfather was unable to get up the three sets of the stairs to get into the house, so we ended up moving the whole Thanksgiving dinner into my parents’ garage. We made these impromptu chandeliers out of garden supplies. One of them is now hanging in our dining room. It’s just one of those iron planters with Christmas lights thrown into piles in it.

I SAW THE SIGN: Bruce does a lot of hand lettering for his company, Post Typography, and we are really into the look of old grocery-store signs, so I got this sign painter in the neighborhood to make those signs above the record player for Bruce’s birthday. The hand painted “J. Mayer Willen” sign in the bathroom is from the law office of Bruce’s grandfather, who practiced law in Baltimore until the age of 97 when his last client died.

FACE THE MUSIC: We have a lot of records from our friends’ bands or that we found at thrift stores. We have a nice speaker system that is throughout the entire first floor, so we often have music playing.

NOW PLAYING: Lately, I’ve been really into Paranoid, the old Black Sabbath album. But also the new Peals album—Bruce’s band—that is about to come out.