Forget dashing through the snow (you know, seeing as there’s no snow in sight). This week’s all about running your holiday cares away with holiday-themed runs across town.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 17
‘Tis the season for holiday stress. Concentrate, find calm, and clear your head with an hour-long Introduction to Mindful Meditation workshop. (Rhizome DC, 7 p.m.-8 p.m., $5 suggested donation)
Santa, Miss Claus, and Rudolph stop by Pacers 14th Street’s annual Peppermint Schnapps Run. Swiss running shoe company On will provide sneakers to try and champagne to sip. Donations collected will benefit N Street Village. (Pacers 14th Street, 6:30 p.m., FREE)
The Woodley Park Main Street Holiday Market and Pop-Up Bookstore continues with products from Woodley Park Ace Hardware, Baked by Yael, Carpe Librum DC, and Allan Woods Flowers. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to DCPS students. (2635 Connecticut Ave NW, 3:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., FREE)
MORE: Auctioning the Past: A Fossil Smuggler Pays the Price (S. Dillon Ripley Center, 6:45 p.m., $20 member, $30 non-member), The Choral Arts Society of Washington Presents Songs of the Season: Christmas with Choral Arts (The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 7 p.m., $15-$69)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18
Nutcracker season is in full swing, and Strathmore presents The Hip Hop Nutcracker for two nights this week. The holiday classic gets set in contemporary New York City; Kurtis Blow opens the evening as guest MC. (Strathmore Music Center, 8 p.m., $30-$60)
Lost & Found hosts a Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Spectacular with all ten of the brewery’s Gingerbread Stout variants available for tasting. You can even make your own gingerbread house to pair with them. (Lost & Found, 4 p.m., FREE)
Pitchers and A League of Her Own celebrate one year with a holiday extravaganza featuring light appetizers and an open bar. RSVP is required for entry, and festive attire encouraged. (Pitchers, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., FREE with RSVP)
Runners have a few holiday group run options: 1. See the sights before your day starts with November Project DC’s Annual Holiday Lights Run. The free 4.5-mile trek begins at Compass Coffee on F Street at 6 a.m. and includes stops with photo ops along the way. 2. DC Capital Striders’ Holiday Lights Run departs from Arc’teryx Washington at 6:30 p.m. for 4.5 mile journey. Entry is $20 to support charity partners; participants score a branded BUFF. 3. Urban Athletic Club’s AdMo Run Club: Zoolights Edition continues, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the steps of The LINE DC. The free 3-mile run includes a warm treat at Brothers and Sisters upon return. 4. Duffy’s, VIDA and Pacers team up for a 3.5-mile holiday run from Pacers Navy Yard to Duffy’s beginning at 6:30 p.m. with a complimentary beer for each runner who completes the route.
MORE: Adult Workshop: Meditation and Mindfulness (Smithsonian Freer Sackler Gallery 28, 12:15 p.m., FREE), Art AfterWords: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Book Discussion (National Portrait Gallery, 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., FREE), Performance: We Choose to Go to the Moon (National Portrait Gallery, 6:30 p.m., FREE), UWIB DC Presents: The 8th Annual Winter Soiree & Silent Auction (Wunder Garten, 6:30 p.m., $10-$20)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19
The Oh Hellos—siblings Tyler and Maggie Heath and a rotating cast—bring their Christmas Extravaganza to DC. The set includes carols, sing-alongs, and holiday cheer. The Family Crest opens. (9:30 Club, 7 p.m. doors, $25)
Holiday Jazz at the St. Regis continues with hot cocoa and cookies for young ones, winter cocktails for adults, and live performances for all. (The St. Regis Washington, 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m., FREE)
The Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. documentary chronicles the career of rapper M.I.A., who survived Sri Lanka’s civil war and emigrated to England before topping the charts (Union Market, 7 p.m., $15),
MORE: The 8th Annual Holiday Tap Takeover (ChurchKey and Birch & Barley, 4 p.m.-11 p.m., FREE), Good Old War (Rock & Roll Hotel, 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show, $18-$20), “Mezcal Under the Mistletoe” Holiday Cocktail Party (The Royal, 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m., $60), Girls’ Night In DC Book Club (Moxy Washington, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., $10), Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Capital One Arena, 8 p.m., $74+), Chicken + Whiskey Ugly Sweater Party (Chicken + Whiskey, 9 p.m.-2:00 a.m., FREE)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20
The LINE DC celebrates one year with an open house all morning long. Enjoy complimentary coffee and morning treats before taking a tour of the converted church turned hotel space. (The LINE DC, 7 a.m.-10 a.m., FREE)
The National Symphony Orchestra presents the holiday classic Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Nicholas McGegan. Performances continue through Sunday. (The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 7 p.m., $15-$99)
North Carolina’s Hiss Golden Messenger, led by M.C. Taylor, makes restless and worn country-tinged folk that’s feels lived in and unfolds with ease. (9:30 Club, 7 p.m. doors, $20)
Patagonia celebrates its new location at 3104 M Street NW with a happy hour featuring free beers and Patagonia Provisions samples. (Patagonia, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., FREE)
MORE: Rent The Runway DC Sample Sale (3330 Cady’s Alley NW, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., FREE), National Sangria Day (Renaissance Washington, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., FREE), Test Kitchen: Kombucha 101 (Union Market, 6 p.m.-8p.m., $50-$80), Bunny, Field Medic, Doe Deer and Nowadays (Songbyrd, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $12-$14)
