Photo Credit: Courtesy Portland Stage Company/ Darren Setlow

THEATER
BAH HUMBUG!
That’s Merry Christmas in Scrooge talk. And you can hear more of it this holiday season at the Portland Stage Company’s A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens’ classic novella brought to life is once again a festive way to get in the spirit (take your pick: past, present, or yet-to-come) of Christmas. Dec. 5 – 24. $15-$39. 25A Forest Ave., Portland. 207-774-0465. www.portlandstage.com

SPORTS
SHIVER ME TIMBERS
It might not feel like the Caribbean outside these days, but the state’s got a lot of swashbuckling action nonetheless. The Portland Pirates, Maine’s American Hockey League team (that’s like the minor league in baseball), is in full swing. Catch all the sticks on ice at their home games, including one against the Manchester Monarchs on December 9 at 7 p.m. at Alfond Arena in Orono. At the Civic Center, it’s the Providence Bruins on December 20 at 7 p.m., the Worcester Sharks December 21 & 28 at 4 p.m., and the Norfolk Admirals December 31 at 5:30 p.m. $9-$21. Cumberland County Civic Center, 45 Spring St., Portland. 207-828-4665. www.portlandpirates.com

Photo Credit: Courtesy Farnsworth Art Museum

ART
IN THE ABSTRACT
After World War II, the realist tradition gave way to abstract expressionism. Artists working in Maine at the time responded in various ways to the new movement, and you can see these responses at Confronting Abstraction: Painting in Maine, 1945-1955 at the Farnsworth Museum. Twenty works from artists such as Andrew Wyeth, John Marin, Stephen Etnier, James Fitzgerald, Thomas Fransioli, Rockwell Kent, Reuben Tam, Ralph Rosenborg, and Andrew Winter will be on display. Through May 17, 2009. $10-$12, and free Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 16 Museum St., Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org