Big Wooden Horse theatre company make a very welcome return to The Haymarket with The Night Before Christmas from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 December,

Christmas means magic, excitement and lots of presents, and this is exactly what The Night Before Christmas provides.

Emily, who can hardly contain her excitement on Christmas Eve - dumps Eddie the mouse out into the cold, declaring that "mice don't celebrate Christmas". Eddie sets out to prove her wrong by tracking down Santa whilst escaping the claws of the sinister family cat Cecil.

Eddie’s adventure is about friendship, sharing and the real spirit of Christmas.

Catchy jokes and plenty of audience participation make the production a perfect introduction to the world of panto for those too young to attend their first proper pantomime.

There is also a relaxed performance on Saturday 9 December at 4pm; a specially adapted performance for those on the autistic spectrum and with other disabilities.

At The Haymarket on Thursday 14 December, the Chroma Ensemble presents Vakula and the Devil - A Russian Christmas Eve.

This is a magical retelling of Nikolai Gogol’s story Christmas Eve, interwoven with a delightful selection of Russian and Ukrainian music and song.

The uproarious tale tells of the blacksmith Vakula’s battle with the devil, who has stolen the moon and hidden it in his pocket.

Vakula is in love with the beautiful Oksana but she will not marry him unless he brings her the Tsarina’s slippers. Now he needs the devil’s help…

Multitalented baritone, cellist and storyteller Matthew Sharp joins Chroma musicians to tell the story in words, song and music, performing pieces by Tchaikovsky, RimskyKorsakov,

Rachmaninov and Borodin as well as Ukrainian folk music. Vakula and the Devil is suitable for ages 7 and over.

Also at The Haymarket is Buddy Holly and The Cricketers with Holly at Christmas, on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 December.

This festive show heralds the Yuletide celebrations and includes Holly’s hits, other contemporary classics and some Christmas crackers are all wrapped up in a fast, furious and funny feast of entertainment to make the perfect gift for all the family.

Don’t miss the show that has thousands of fans the world over saying: “I can’t believe it’s not Buddy!”

For more information or for tickets, visit anvilarts.org.uk or call the Anvil Arts box office on 01256 844244.