Uh-oh, there are too many presents to unwrap.

With so many holiday-themed shows going on in what's already a busy time of year, it's hard to pick which ones to get to (after reserving a couple of hours to view the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" stop-action puppet movie, of course). So our critics serve up their selections of some of the most promising shows in the Bay Area through New Year's.

Theater

Some can't have Christmas without "A Christmas Carol," and the show is readily available (Walnut Creek's Center Repertory Company and San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre Company perform particularly worthy productions, see calendar).

But if you'd like to see something different, "The Coverlettes Cover Christmas" is a holiday treat for those who like their celebration with a '60s girl group beat (and beehives).

The musical presentation stars Bay Area singers Darby Gould (once of Jefferson Starship), Katie Guthorn and "Star Search" winner Carol Bozzio Littleton, accompanied by a live band.

The acclaimed musical revue returns Dec. 15-27 to Berkeley's Aurora Theatre.

Details: $25-$28; 510-843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org

— Pat Craig

Dance

While I love a traditional "Nutcracker" as much as the next person, offbeat retellings of Christmas

classic such as Mark Morris' "The Hard Nut" really put me in a holiday mood. Who can resist the renowned choreographer's deliciously campy twists on the tale of a little girl and her beloved wooden soldier?

The group's annual performances Dec. 11-20 at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall tend to sell out quickly, so it's a good idea to get tickets now — the sheer pleasure of seeing Morris himself, decked out as a disco-dancing partyer, is worth the price alone.

Details: $36-$62; 510-642-9988, www.calperformances.org.

Also recommended: With a story about the transformative power of music and dance, we think World Arts West and First Voice's "The Return of the Sun: How the Sun Got its Light," will make a fine addition to your holiday dance calendar. Attend this multicultural work, which blends Indian, Afro-Peruvian, Mayan and Korean dance traditions with Japanese theater, Dec. 5 at San Francisco's Jewish Community Center.

Details: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; $15-$22; 415-292-1200; www.jccsf.org.

— Jennifer Modenessi

Classical music

Some music lovers favor Handel's mighty "Messiah" for their annual holiday spiritual uplift, but my anticipatory delight is focused instead on the infrequently performed "Christmas Oratorio" of Johann Sebastian Bach, to be performed Nov. 27-29 in Davies Hall by the San Francisco Symphony and its fabulous Chorus, with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting.

This magnificent work is six cantatas strung together, depicting the Christmas story from the Nativity through the Adoration of the Magi, and hearing it feels like you're going on a journey yourself. Chorus conductor Ragnar Bohlin has condensed the work so that all six cantatas are represented over two hours and the narrative thread is preserved.

Details: 8 p.m. Nov. 27-28 and 2 p.m. Nov. 29; $15-$135; 415-864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org.

Also recommended: Olivier Messiaen's "Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus," a two-hour tour de force for solo piano, is a collection of 20 hauntingly beautiful meditative pieces. Formidable Italian pianist Marino Formenti, often compared to legendary Glenn Gould, will play it Dec. 5 in an appropriately sacred space — St. John's Presbyterian Church in Berkeley.

Details: 5 p.m.; $32; 415-392-2545, www.performances.org.

Tchaikovsky's delightful "Peter and the Wolf" is a kid-oriented holiday treat in and of itself, but the San Francisco Youth Symphony upped the ante this year by scoring Linda Ronstadt as the narrator. The popular singer, an adoptive mother herself, has a known affinity for children; her eclectic recording career includes a lovely CD of rock tunes she turned into lullabies and released as "Dedicated to the One I Love." She should bring something special to the Dec. 12-13 concerts Donato Cabrero will conduct in Davies Hall.

Details: 3 p.m. Dec. 12 at Flint Center; 1 and 4 p.m. Dec. 13 at Davies Hall; $15-$57 (children half price); 415-864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org.

— Sue Gilmore

Pop/rock/jazz

Muse, Vampire Weekend and Metric are three of the best modern-rock acts in the business. And they're all part of radio station Live 105's annual Not So Silent Night concert Dec. 11 at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Also on the bill is Thirty Seconds to Mars and local goth-rockers AFI. Arrive to the venue on time to catch an opening set by the winner of a local talent competition.

Details: 6:15 p.m.; $49.50-$59.50; 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.

Also recommended: McCoy Tyner is one of jazz's greatest pianists. He came to fame as a member of the legendary John Coltrane Quartet, contributing to such immortal discs as 1960's "My Favorite Things," and then went on to fashion a thoroughly satisfying solo career. For his New Year's Eve run — Dec. 29 to Jan. 3 — Tyner will lead a sensational band, featuring ace bassist Esperanza Spalding, drummer Francisco Mela and saxophonist Ravi (son of John) Coltrane.

Details: 8 and 10 p.m. Dec. 29-30 and Jan. 1-2, 9 p.m. Dec. 31, 2 and 7 p.m. Jan. 3; $35 evening shows except New Year's Eve ($100), $5-$35 Jan. 3 matinee; 510-238-9200, visit www.yoshis.com.

— Jim Harrington