Christmas programming is an important part of any arts organization’s holiday calendar. Familiar classics like The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol draw huge crowds and add to the coffers. A quick glance through local arts calendars this season reveals performances with names like The Twelve Ways of Christmas, The Messiah, and Glory in the Highest, all presented by some of the Houston’s most outstanding performing arts groups.

Certainly, as the saying goes, Jesus is the reason for the season, and Christians across the world mark his birth at this time of year. It follows that holiday arts programming would reflect this.

What about the 27 percent of Houstonians who, according to Pew Research Center, are not Christian? Or those who have already experienced the incredible power of The Messiah sung by a choir backed by a world-class orchestra? Or those who aren’t interested in a concert of Christmas songs, sacred, secular, or otherwise? In a city of more than two million souls—that's frequently in the limelight for its diverse population—many inhabitants fall into these categories.

The great thing about Houston’s diversity is that it also drives a variety of arts programming. There are several options for those seeking some holiday cheer without a strict focus on Christmas.

“I love the fact that this is our third year doing a Christmas spectacular that has nothing to do with Christmas,” says Vivienne St. John, artistic director of Main Street Theater’s Theater for Youth. “We call it our ‘holiday spectacular,’ but it has nothing to do with the holidays.”

The theater opened Sleeping Beauty on November 17, and the show runs through December 22. Audiences who come to Sleeping Beauty should not expect a stage production of the popular Disney version. The musical, with a book and lyrics by Ian Curran and music by Simon Hanson and Peter Vint, tells the familiar story of Aurora, a princess raised in hiding until the day she can take her rightful place in the realm. This particular production is of British origin, and it’s never been staged before in the US until now.

“The music is gorgeous,” St. John says. “Fairy tales, in their original form, have some darkness to them. This honors that. It’s not just fluff. It’s a strong storyline, a strong message, and this piece is so beautiful.”

She expects it to be a show that multiple generations will enjoy. That’s the same perspective that Eiki Isomura, artistic and interim general director of Opera in the Heights, has for The Little Prince, which runs for four shows from December 6 through 15.

“I think it can sometimes be hard to find pieces that engage young audiences and are also genuinely satisfying for the grown-ups,” he says. “The Little Prince hits that mark on a number of levels. The source material is one of the most beloved stories of all time.”

Originally a book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, it’s the story of a prince who travels through space and time, exploring planets and learning about life, love, and friendship. The opera has a libretto by Nicholas Wright and a score by Rachel Portman, and it originally premiered at Houston Grand Opera in 2003.

The opera’s length is just around two hours, making it a great introduction to the art for first-timers. It was also created to be produced for companies with both large and small orchestras. Using the smaller orchestral staging is perfect for Opera in the Heights, and Isomura is excited to present the show in Lambert Hall’s intimate setting. He also thinks the show’s themes of love and friendship will resonate with audiences.

“It’s deeply moving,” Isomura says. “And you get to meet so many quirky characters in these short, digestible vignettes.”

Around the same time The Little Prince opens in the Heights, Theatre Under The Stars is raising the curtain on Disney’s Frozen at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The musical runs December 10 through 29. It’s one of the first productions of the show not produced by Disney, and Dan Knechtges, TUTS’ artistic director, is excited about that.

TUTS was instrumental in launching the musical version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Before the musical premiered on Broadway, it was produced and opened in Houston in 1993. This year, the organization was invited to pitch a concept for Frozen to Disney Theatricals. Knechtges grounded his take on the show in Scandinavian folklore. His mother is Swedish and, growing up, he always associated the holiday season with Scandinavia.

“There’s a group of people in the show called the Hidden People,” he says. “They are based on the Sámi people, the Indigenous people of Scandinavia that live in the far north. The show starts with them magically appearing from the Northern Lights, and is viewed from their eyes.”

Knechtges and his team researched the Sámi to ensure the group was represented correctly. He also drew on stories from his grandparents to capture authentic folklore and costumes. He says the fictional Arendelle will look like a Swedish town from the turn of the century.

Audiences will also find themselves in another small town, this one in seventeenth-century England, when Revels Houston presents its holiday show, The Christmas Revels: A 17th Century English Village Celebration of the Winter Solstice, at the MATCH on the weekend of December 21 and 22. Its title only refers to the time of year; it’s not indicative of a specific Christmas element.

“What the Revels tries to do is to show connections between the ways people of different cultures and different eras have come to celebrate this time of the year when the days are getting shorter in the northern hemisphere and the nights are getting longer,” says Bob Stevenson, artistic advisor to the Houston Revels.

The Houston group is part of the larger organization the Revels, which has nine chapters in different cities across the country. Each chapter offers a selection of programming throughout the year, tied to the changes of the seasons. The Houston Revels’ December show explores the idea that light will triumph over darkness. It’s set in England’s West Country, the area between Cornwall and Wales. Think Poldark.

“A dispute arises among the folks in this village, between those who believe in magical creatures like faeries and hobgoblins, and those who think they’re all superstition and mythology,” says Stevenson.

The show follows the two groups as they attempt to convince each other who’s right. Along the way, there is dancing, singing, instrumental interludes, and audience participation.

“We will be asking folks to sing along,” says Stevenson. “Some of the songs they know, and we’ll provide lyrics. There’s even a point where we pull a person out of the audience to take part in the show and another place where we invite them to dance with us. Because we’re all part of this alternate world.”

Being part of the world together is also the focus of International Voices Houston’s Candle in the Window concert at the MATCH on December 14 and 15. Subtitled “Songs for Peace,” the multicultural choir draws from different faiths and cultural traditions to create an inclusive show, with both Christmas and Hanukkah songs, along with several others unrelated to religion.

“The ‘candle in the window’ is a symbol of peace and hope, a light in the darkness,” says Lindsay Reilly, president of International Voices. “Our singers represent over 30 nationalities, and while our holidays and traditions may differ, songs of peace can be found in them all. Whether a Swahili song of celebration or an Iraqi lullaby, peace is the universal theme.”

Peace and belonging are themes that bind these shows together: They all convey a sense that we exist in the world as a community. All are meant to be enjoyed by audiences of every age and background looking for a little holiday magic.

 “I think that the holidays are really about family, and it feels like a magical time of year,” St. John says.