Baking cookies. Wrapping the saguaro in twinkle lights. Drinking eggnog with every meal. Those holiday traditions are OK for most people, but if you really love the season and you want to show it, there's only one way to go.

(Ahem, ahem . . . mi, mi, mi, mi, mi . . .) "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way / Oh what fun it is to sing in a festive kind of way!"

Caroling has been around since medieval times, when the lord of the manor would give food and drink to the peasants in exchange for their goodwill.

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More:
• Seven guys in UA's Cat Call do it a cappella
• The Towne Carolers at your beck and call
• Ten Tenors here for 'Nostalgica'
• Holiday favorites sung by Boys Chorus and ... you
• Strike a festive look when caroling

But - and forgive us if this sounds too much like the dialogue in President Obama's war room - what if there's a third option?

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More reviews:
• 'The Road'
• 'Up in the Air'
• 'Me and Orson Welles'
• 'Precious'
• 'Did You Hear About the Morgans?'
• 'Red Cliff'

Albert Hall's other side

Acacia owner scores with Marketplace

On the eve of Acacia at St. Philip's fifth anniversary, chef-owner Albert Hall was getting ready to open The Marketplace at Acacia, his decidedly casual sandwich and takeout joint in the same building.

The Marketplace, which he opened in mid-October, is Hall's stab at reinvention. It's a culinary diversion aimed at folks looking for a less-expensive, fast dining option.

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