//shopping//
Fun With Umlauts!
The SWEA Christmas Fair and Holiday Celebration
Christmas comes a bit early to Costa Mesa when the Swedish Women's Educational Association hosts its annual authentic Christmas celebration. Fill your tummy at the julbord (a holiday-centric smorgasbord), washing all the fishy goodness down with a hot glögg (a spicy wine-based concoction that tastes better than it sounds) or special Swedish Christmas beer. In the Pysselrum (arts-and-crafts room), kids can create Christmas ornaments, gifts and more. And if little Ula made something dreadful, you can always pick up a replacement gift at one of the vendor booths.
The festivities continue with folk dancing; not one, but two St. Lucia pageants; and a visit from Jultomten, the Swedish Santa Claus, who'll bring with him goodies for all the children there. Jultomten's visit concludes with a traditional dance around the tree.
The SWEA Christmas Fair and Holiday Celebration at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa. Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Proceeds go toward scholarships and local charities.
//concert//
Whoa, Nelly
Band of Horses
Band of Horses' members could wallpaper their pads with reviews of 2006's Everything All the Time that compared them to My Morning Jacket. The verdict's valid: Ben Bridwell's reverb-bathed, yearning yelp does resemble MMJ's Jim James' vocal style, and both groups tap into a vein of cavernous, vulnerable rock geared toward wowing outdoor festival-goers. But a few lineup changes, a move from Seattle to South Carolina, and 18 months later, Band of Horses have shed their Morning Jacket and donned a lighter, more distinctive sonic coat. Their second album for Sub Pop, Cease to Begin, radiates more energy, bears more country inflections and contains more indelible tunes than their debut. It's not a startling deviation, but as flannel-'n'-beard American rock goes, Band of Horses finesse a pleasing strain of it—a lumbering yet ethereal sound that brings you down ever so sweetly.
Band of Horses with the Drones and Tyler Ramsey at the Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona, (909) 865-3802; www.theglasshouse.us. Mon., 7 p.m. $17-$19. All ages.
//pets//
Hounds of Love
Greyhound Adoption Fair
They may look a little funny—but so do you.
Scrawny, lanky and sharp-featured, greyhounds have come to be known for their racing abilities, but they actually make excellent pets. They're quiet, gentle, loyal animals, and they actually don't require too much exercise; they're sprinters, not distance runners.
But dozens and dozens of greyhounds are retired from racing every year, and they all need loving homes. And while they're great dogs, a retired racing greyhound may not be for everyone. Racing greyhounds have never ridden in a car, or seen a television, window or sliding door, stairs, or just about anything else you can think of. While intelligent and adaptable, it'll still take some patience to transition these dogs.
There are greyhounds of all types and personalities, and more than likely, there's one that will fit into your family. Greyhound Adoption Center is a nonprofit group that will help find that right dog.
And who knows—maybe it'll love you enough to overlook that bald spot you're developing.
Greyhound Adoption Show & Tell at Petco, 30682 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 888-0478; www.houndsavers.com. Sun., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free.
