Thursday, December 9 – Thursday, December 16

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9

  Chamber of Commerce mixer, hosted by Palisades Cares, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Taste, a restaurant in the Highlands Plaza off Palisades Drive. The public is invited. Non-members: $25.   Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, 7 p.m. in the historic dining hall in Temescal Gateway Park. Free parking. The council will hand out its annual Community Service Awards to Andy Frew and Arnold and Sigrid Hofer.   Paul Revere Charter Middle School holds its annual holiday choral concert, 7 p.m. in the school auditorium, 1450 Allenford. Free admission.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10

  Marquez Charter fourth graders read original poetry created with Michelle Bitting Abrams and California Poets in the Schools, a community-based poetry education program cultivating children’s imagination since 1964 (www.cpits.org), 6:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore.   Theatre Palisades’ production of ‘Putting It Together,’ a musical revue showcasing the songs of Stephen Sondheim, 8 p.m. at Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m., through December 12. For tickets ($18-$22) call (310) 454-1970.   Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s and the choir and soloists of St. Matthew’s Parish present holiday concert, 8 p.m. at the church, 1031 Bienveneda Ave. Program features Bach’s Magnificat in D Major and the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, featuring violinist Yi-Huan Zhao and flutists Nancy Gilman Marfisi and Eileen Holt.’Tickets are $35 at the door. Contact: 310-573-7421.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11

  Will Rogers State Historic Park hosts a Holiday Horses Parade of Lights, 4:30 to 7 p.m. on the park’s polo field. The public is also invited to view the vintage holiday Ranch House decorations during an open house, 4 to 7 p.m. Complimentary eggnog and cookies will be served. Parking is reduced to $6 after 3 p.m.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12

  The Formalist Quartet performs a program featuring works by Villa Aurora Fellows and California composers, 3 p.m. at Villa Aurora on Paseo Miramar. For tickets ($10 for non-members, $5 for members and students with ID), call (310) 573-3603 or visit: info@villa-aurora.org. Shuttle service starts at 2:15 p.m. on Los Liones Drive.   The Temescal Canyon Association hiking group visits the Venice Canals to see the Christmas lights and perhaps the boat parade. The public is invited to join the walk. Meet at 5 p.m. for carpooling at the front parking lot in Temescal Gateway Park. Information: temcanyon.org.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13

  Sunrise Assisted Living hosts a free Alzheimer’s support group on the second Monday and fourth Wednesday of each month, 6:30 p.m. at 15441 Sunset. Please RSVP by calling the front desk at (310) 573-9545.   Moonday, a monthly Westside poetry reading, features poets C.J. Sage and J.P. Dancing Bear, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14

  The Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club presents its annual Christmas Boutique, 11 a.m. at the clubhouse, 901 Haverford. Opera-Kadabra, a one-man show by Patrick Bell, baritone and magician, is scheduled for 11:45 a.m.’For lunch reservations ($15), call (310) 454-7144 or (310) 230-2792 by noon on December 10.   Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association board meeting, 7 p.m. at the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center. The public is invited. Visit www.smcca.org for the agenda

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15

  Village Books celebrates the launch of Paul Almond’s ‘The Alford Saga,’ a series of romantic adventures that begins with ‘The Deserter,’ 5 to 7 p.m. at the store, 1049 Swarthmore. Just published in Canada, ‘The Deserter’ has made bestseller lists there. Come enjoy a glass of wine while hearing a few words from Almond.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16

  Fred Keller discusses ‘Spearing the Wild Blue Boar: Shakespeare vs. Oxford: The Authorship Question,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Is William Shakespeare the true author of the poems and plays attributed to him? This book silences those who say that he isn’t. It takes particular aim at those who champion Edward de Vere, the 17th-century Earl of Oxford, whose crest was a wild blue boar.