In a city increasingly focused on the arts, one Napa gallery stands alone. Artists at the Brown Street Gallery are clients of Napa Valley Support Services (NVSS), a program providing employment, education and community services for adults with disabilities.

David Auerbach performs his 21st holiday season of “Carols in the Caves” this year in Sonoma, Calistoga, San Francisco and Los Gatos. His concerts utilize ancient harps, psalteries, dulcimers, flutes and percussion to present traditional Christmas carols in wine caves and cellars.

The Symphony League’s major annual fundraising event, Festival of Trees,  is at the Meritage Resort Hotel Friday. Benefiting the Napa Valley Symphony, the 14th season of  Festival of Trees includes a three-day weekend filled with fun and  innovative activities. 

For the past decade, Napa native Sue F. Payne and a group of talented artisan friends have been coming together to stage a holiday-themed shopping opportunity celebrating beauty, freedom of expression and an abundance of diverse creations.

LOS ANGELES — Mel Gibson showed the world the mercilessly bloody end of Jesus Christ’s mortal life in “The Passion of the Christ.” Now the makers of “The Nativity Story” offer Christ’s sweet, humble beginnings in a stable — which, remarkably, Hollywood has not focused on before.

For those who find tedious the depiction of Napa Valley wineries as a tasteful, if rural, pinnacle of the good life, Lin Weber has an alternate view.

“Deja Vu” — Whether or not you get that nagging sensation that you’ve seen this movie before, your brain will seriously hurt trying to figure out whether its central gimmick works.

Students in the Napa Valley College commercial, intermediate and advanced voice classes will present a vocal concert 8 p.m. Saturday in the NVC Theater.

When a handsome prince is transformed by a troll into a fierce white bear, only a brave and beautiful girl can help set him free, but to do this, she has to travel to the ends of the earth, “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.”

Ice, snow, music and sparkling lights capture the beauty and magic of the holidays on stage and on “ice” for two stunning performances of “Glace: Cirque on Ice” at Yountville’s Lincoln Theater Dec. 6-7 at 7 p.m.

From Register Staff

An accurate indicator of whether a game is any good is time. It may seem obvious, but if a game sucks you in enough to play for longer periods than you normally would, that’s a very good sign indeed.

Anyone heading to the mountains to try skiing for the first time this season might want to take a page from the experiences of Zeke the Zebra, whose snowy adventures are recounted in a new children’s book from Dee Richards, a Napa artist and author.

It took more than 3,500 student hours to put together a colorful ceramic tile mural that was unveiled Thursday at Vintage High.

Education

Gasser Foundation president gets award

Second Lt. Josh Carter of Napa received his pilot wings from the Air Force on Nov. 9. Lt. Carter graduated from the elite Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT) at Sheppard AFB, Texas, where he was awarded the Order of Daedalians Commander's Trophy for the most outstanding student.

What is the purpose of the capsule on a bottle of wine?

Each Tuesday The Register reviews an area restaurant, with an emphasis on establishments where a couple can dine for $30 or less. Reader suggestions are welcomed.

Coming up with a Yuletide gift for the home cook should be as easy as, well, apple pie.

Whether you’re on a budget or looking to bust one, finding the perfect gift for the gourmet in your life need not be a hassle.

This time of year you're sure to see your neighbors dragging plastic Santas out of the garage, cramming Christmas trees through the doorways and unsnarling strings of holiday lights. Decorating can be a hassle, but with a little planning, you can create a beautiful display that won't have you saying "bah humbug" when the energy bill arrives.

Heila Hubbard doesn't dare tell her neighbors, but she recently spent weeks figuring out how to run water out of her tap.

WOODSTOCK, Va. -- Esther Miller is here to warn you about being blistered by the milk of horticultural kindness -- in her case, by brushing up against the creamy sap oozing from plants belonging to the family Euphorbia.

We usually have the coldest weather in January and February, but during each of the past four years we have had an early frost in December that put an end to the winter blooms of the Mexican sage out by my driveway. Protect tender bougainvillea, citrus, fuchsia and succulents by covering them if frost is expected. If we're not having steady rain yet, continue to run the irrigation system if the soil dries out. Also water the potted plants as necessary, especially those under the eaves. There is still time to plant some vegetable seeds or some cool weather annuals, or relax a bit and leave the pruning until January. For more seasonal gardening topics, tune in to MGTV local public access cable Channel 28 (cable only); showtimes are Thursdays at 11 a.m. and Saturdays at 7 p.m.

Six Napa Valley estates will be open today for this year's St. Helena Holiday Home Tour, which raises funds for the students at St. Helena primary and elementary schools. The tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shopping for the holidays

A Napa holiday tradition returns as Napa County Landmarks presents its Holiday Candlelight Tour 3-8 p.m. Saturday in the Napa Abajo/Fuller Park neighborhoods in Napa.

WASHINGTON -- A year after experimenting with fresh flower decorations, the White House is returning to a more traditional Christmas look for its 24 holiday parties.

THOMPSON-SCHROETER -- Edmund Paul Thompson, 33, Tanglewood Way, Napa, to Lena Katharina Schroeter, 29, Tanglewood Way, Napa.

St. Helena Hospital

OBA -- Asuncion Oba vs. Joseph Oba, Nov. 16, 2006

Ray Borgia and Diane (MacPherson) Borgia celebrated their 40th anniversary on Nov. 7 with a cruise on the Mexican Riviera aboard the Carnival Spirit with friends. They also celebrated Diane's 60th birthday on Nov. 15.

Dalton Allen and Kasey Randle announced their engagement to be married on June 16, 2007. Dalton proposed to Kasey on the island of Hawaii in Kona. Kasey is the daughter of Bob and Quay Randle of Big Bear Lake. She is a 1996 graduate of Big Bear High School and is an escrow officer. Dalton is the son of Dave and Connie Allen of Napa. He is a 1993 graduate of Vintage High School and is currently completing his teaching credential at California State University, Long Beach. They are living in Long Beach.

Meagan Salmon of Carmel and Brian Houle of San Mateo married on June 10 at 3:30 p.m. at the Community Church of Monterey Peninsula in Carmel. The reception was held at the Hyatt Regency of Monterey. The couple married at the same church where the bride's parents were wed 28 years ago.

Jim Landis and Sandy (Foster) Landis of Napa celebrated their 50th anniversary on Sept. 30 at the home of the Stornettas. They married on Oct. 6, 1956, in Berkeley and have lived in Napa County for 36 years.

Cynthia Sue Hamby and Matthew Eugene Eckert, both of Port Orford, Ore., married on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. at the Berkeley Marina. Cindi and Matt were married by the captain on the bow of the Commodore Hornblower yacht, surrounded by 40 family members and close friends. After the ceremony, a reception, luncheon and dancing were held on the yacht as it cruised the calm waters of San Francisco Bay.

Jennifer Datlik and Thomas McDonald of Seattle, Wash., were married Oct. 14, 2006, at V. Sattui WInery. The bride and groom held a sunset candlelit ceremony officiated by Fr. Ray Meiser. The bride was escorted down the aisle by Dean Sereni, her friend since preschool and fellow graduate of Calistoga High School, class of 1994.