Garden of Lights: After the sun goes down, the Quail Botanical Gardens is transformed into a dazzling winter wonderland with over 90,000 sparkling lights illuminating the plants and trees for a magical holiday experience. Stroll the grounds on foot or climb aboard a romantic horse-drawn carriage to tour the orchid-lined, fern-draped paths. Garden of Lights is open Dec. 9-11, Dec. 15-23 and Dec. 26-30 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Admission is $6. The Quail Botanical Gardens is located in Encinitas at 230 Quail Gardens Dr. (760) 436-3036 ext. 206.

Hillcrest Wind Ensemble concert: A special holiday concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 4190 Front St. in Hillcrest. Under the direction of conductor John Winkelman, the ensemble will present “Segue to Spring,” featuring Winterscape tone poem for trumpet (John Cacavas); “Christmas Festival” (Leroy Anderson); and “Peter and the Wolf” (Sergei Prokofiev), with narration by Robert Sokolowski. The Hillcrest Wind Ensemble and San Diego’s Finest City Freedom Band are official programs of The Center. Tickets are $10. For more information, call (619) 692-2077 ext. 814.

Holiday Highballs: Babette Schwartz presents this show at Martinis Above Fourth at 9:00 p.m. Special guests include Tootie, LaDonna Monroe, Fifi and Chad Michaels. Tickets are available for $15 in advance at Babette Schwartz, located at 421 University Ave. in Hillcrest. (619) 220-7048.

Confessions of a Mormon Boy: The solo show written and performed by Steven Fales returns to Diversionary Theatre for an 11-performance run, Dec. 9-18. Fales, a sixth-generation Mormon, plays various characters from his highly distinctive life’s journey as a gay Mormon, an Eagle Scout, missionary to Portugal, BYU graduate, husband, father and Manhattan escort. Showtimes are Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinee at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $9-$27. Diversionary Theatre is located at 4545 Park Blvd. (619) 220-0097.

San Diego Boat Parade of Lights: At 5:30 p.m., fireworks kick off the light parade, which lasts until 9:00 p.m. The parade sails along Shelter Island and Harbor Island, past the Star of India. For boaters, the best viewing area is near the 10th Street Terminal. For those viewing from land, the north and south ends of the Embarcadero, as well as the pathway along Coronado, are prime viewing spots. The parade repeats next Sunday, Dec. 18, at the same time. (619) 224-2240.

Momentum game night: Momentum, a group for gay men ages 25-35, is based out of Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Gay Men’s Health Program (GMHP), which focuses on health through education, social skills and community building. This month’s game night takes place from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Other Side Café, located at 4096 30th St. in North Park. Call Curtis Abney at (619) 515-2446 ext. 2913 for more information.

Nightmare Before X-MAS: San Diego modern/alternative rock station XTRA-FM 91X presents their annual holiday concert, featuring Bauhaus, Germs, The Bravery, Alkaline Trio and Louis XIV at Copley Symphony Hall. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $40 and $52. Copley Symphony Hall is located at Seventh and B streets downtown. (619) 235-0804.

Eric Himan: The indie rocker takes the stage at The Center for a special performance at 7:30 p.m. Hear the singer/songwriter play songs on his guitar from his recent release, Dark Horse. Tickets are $10, and all proceeds support The Center. The Center is located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest. (619) 692-2077.

Santaland Diaries: Written by David Sedaris, the play involves the personal observations of an out-of-work slacker who decides to become a Macy’s elf during the holiday crunch. At first the job is simply humiliating, but once the thousands of visitors start pouring through Santa’s workshop, our elf becomes battle weary and bitter. Tickets are $20. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. The play runs until Dec. 23 at the Cygnet Theatre, located at 6663 El Cajon Blvd. Call (619) 337-1525 for showtimes and further information.

Sushi and wine tasting: Sushi for Dummies co-author Mineko Moreno will demonstrate how to prepare sushi bar dishes at home during a special event at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center beginning at 6:00 p.m. Perfect wines will be paired with sushi creations. The menu will include: shrimp tempura inside-out rolls, crunchy shrimp tempura, spicy tuna hand rolls and other dishes. Tickets are $75. The San Diego Wine and Culinary Center is located at 200 Harbor Dr., Suite 120. (619) 231-6400.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: America’s favorite holiday fable is a wonderful, whimsical production that will once again jump right off the pages of the classic Dr. Seuss book and onto the Old Globe stage. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $39-$59 for adults and $19-$29 for children 17 and under. Call (619) 23-GLOBE or visit www.theoldglobe.org to purchase tickets. The Old Globe Theatre is located in Balboa Park.

Storytelling workshop: The Center’s Women’s Resource Center presents a digital storytelling workshop for women from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. in The Center’s David Bohnett Cyber Center. By utilizing voice, song and images, you can create your own unique story that will last a lifetime. The workshop, an opportunity for participants to learn how to produce small multimedia videos, will be led by Michelle Tuatagaloa. To sign up or to find out more, contact Lindsay Sullivan at (619)692-2077 ext. 107 or lsullivan@thecentersd.org.

Nickel Creek: The bluegrass trio takes the stage at the House of Blues. Siblings Sean and Sara Watkins started the group in the late ’80s and joined forces with Chris Thile before they hit their teens. Nickel Creek plays inspired original music that intertwines classical, rock, pop and jazz. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. The House of Blues is located at 1055 Fifth Ave. downtown. Tickets are $26-$28. (619) 220-TIXS.