I’m picky when it comes to holiday traditions- the market is too crowded, turkey is dry, and I really think George Bailey needs to learn to control his temper. But I very quickly attached to the tradition of the Shaw Festival’s Christmas Carol + festive musical two-show day. Throw in a stroll down Niagara-on-the-Lake’s picturesque main street, a snack from the town’s new potato restaurant (you heard that right, a potato restaurant! It’s called Scrape, which is a terrible name but it’s cute as a button and serves almost exclusively potatoes which is all I ever really want), a stop at the Christmas store, maybe even a family-friendly backstage tour, and that’s just about my perfect day.

Tragically, heartbreakingly, personal attackingly, the beautiful Royal George Theatre that is a key player in the Shaw’s Christmas Carol is about to be torn down (or at least extensively renovated, I’m not sure if they’re technically demolishing but they essentially are). So this is the last year to catch artistic director Tim Carroll’s magical production with its practical effects and oldworld charm. It’s the perfect children’s show, especially under this year’s more subtle directorial eye- a feast for the imagination in a swift 100 minute package. If they don’t bring it back as soon as the new theatre is ready, I’ll never forgive them.

The musical, of course, is going nowhere. Whether it’s an extension of the main season musical (like last year’s My Fair Lady that ran straight from spring through winter) or a holiday event like the current White Christmas, (the 2022 production of which was patient zero for the Shaw’s recent obsession with midcentury tap shows), the extension of the Shaw season into the holidays seems, thankfully, like it’s here to stay. Next season will see the reopening of the Court House Theatre and two musicals (Cinderella and Frog & Toad) take over the holiday spot, though neither is particularly holiday-y. And while both of those shows are very fun musicals that are perfect for kids, I’ll miss the Christmas-ness of this year’s duo. With about half the cast returning from White Christmas’ last run, the musical this season is polished and bright with a key casting update with the addition of Camille Eanga-Selenge as the reserved and secretly quirky Betty (a fun expansion of the character from her dull as rocks film iteration). A few tweaks to the story give Phil and Judy (showstoppers Kevin McLachlan and Mary Antonini) a bit more agency and the central male friendship is strengthened by the elimination of the film’s life-saving plot point. The “I Love a Piano” tap number is unmissable and, while the show remains frothy as can be and I’ll never understand the need to expand the role of the tiresome receptionist, it’s the perfect injection of holiday happiness.