Listening to Spotify Christmas playlists is great, but there are better ways to check out holiday music in Seattle this month. Whether you're in the mood for classical, jazz, pop, or "blackened sludge," we've got you covered with these 12 concerts (plus two DJ nights) from our Winter Holidays calendar.

CLASSICAL
DEC 10
Pacific MusicWorks present Messiah
Soloists will be embedded in the choir for this "revolutionary approach" to Handel's beloved and iconic Messiah, in an homage to his original staging. (Plus, here are even more chances to hear Messiah.)

DEC 11
A Festival of Lessons & Carols
Northwest Boychoir, in collaboration with Vocalpoint! Seattle, present the story of the Nativity told through reading, choral setting and audience carols.

DEC 12
Magical Strings Celtic Yuletide Concert
Celebrate the holidays, Celtic-style, at Town Hall, with Celtic harps, hammered dulcimers, violins, cello, concertina, percussion, and other instruments and Jocelyn Pettit's "lively fiddling."

DEC 30
Messiah Sing and Play Along
If you've always wanted to be involved in a performance of Handel's Messiah, now's your chance! Musicians, bring your stands, and singers, bring your scores. It's time to play along.

JAZZ
DEC 13
Charlie Brown Christmas
"This is the fifth year that Jose Gonzalez is performing with his trio the whole of jazz's greatest contribution of the Holiday Season, Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas. And we must love this work because it expresses Christmas feelings in a very urban way. It is indeed the sound of the Holiday Season in a big city and not that no-place out there in the country. In this jazz classic, the snow falls on apartment buildings and not on a forest." -Charles Mudede
(You'll get another chance to hear this on December 20 at Tim Noah's Thumbnail Theater.)

ROCK/POP
DEC 16
Dancer and Prancer
"It’s finally the season for Seattle’s premier holidaycore surf band Dancer & Prancer to emerge from the North Pole (or wherever they live the rest of the year) to drum up holiday cheer with spirited surf renditions of Christmas classics." -Robin Edwards

DEC 19
Destroy My Sweater: Weezus and Goat Reward
Destroy all your ugly holiday sweaters with Weezer cover group extraordinaire Weezus.

DEC 27
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Swing and rockabilly revivalist Brian Setzer brings his orchestra around in celebration of their new holiday album, Rockin' Rudolph.

BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK
DEC 11-12
The Maldoggies Family Christmas
The Maldives and the Moondoggies reunite for their annual Christmas double-header.

DEC 19
An Appalachian Christmas
A mixture of traditional American folk music and holiday carols.

3rd Annual Keepin' It in the Fam Holiday Show
"Acoustic music legend" Darol Anger joins with singer-songwriter Emy Phelps for a holiday program.

METAL/PUNK
DEC 11-12
Hail Santa IV
"Portland doom heavyweights Atriarch and Minneapolis-based blackened sludge masters Wolvhammer headline a night filled with the cheer and wonderment of the Holy Spirit—that is, if your Holy Spirit wears corpse paint and burns churches on the regular." -Kevin Diers

DJ
DEC 18
Primary Toy Drive with the Good Vibe Tribe
Spectacularly talented locals DJs spin records; you donate toys. What's not to love?

DEC 26
Total Request Live Night: Ugly Sweaters Edition
Nectar joins in on the ugly sweater phenomenon with a very '90s, very holiday edition of their storied "Total Request Live" night. Ugly sweaters are, obviously, encouraged.