Christmas on the Common with the Harvard Glee Club and the Radcliffe Choral Society. Saturday, Dec. 10. 8 p.m. First Church Congregational, 11 Garden Street. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $16 general admission, $8 students and seniors.

Kuumba’s We Have Heard Angels: The 35th Annual Dr. S. Allen Counter Christmas Concerts. Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. Memorial Church. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. Free.

The Winter Concert: Featuring the Harvard Krokodiloes and the Harvard Callbacks. Friday, Dec. 9. 8 p.m. Sanders Theatre. Tickets available by emailing tickets@kroks.com. $10 general admission, $8 students and seniors.

From the day after Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas Eve, Messiah sing-alongs, holiday concerts, and carolers may seem as common—and overdone—as candy canes, eggnog, and presents under the tree. But before you turn against holiday music altogether, Harvard has an array of concerts this season that deserve a look.

“Christmas on the Common,” a joint concert of the Harvard Glee Club (HGC) and Radcliffe Choral Society (RCS), has sold out every year in recent memory, perhaps due to its intimate atmosphere and audience involvement.

“It’s my favorite concert of the year. I love the church. It’s beautiful and has a great sound,” says HGC president Jonathon A. Blazek ’06. “It’s nice to have a smaller audience than Sanders Theatre with about 350 people.”

“Christmas on the Common” will include a diverse repertoire, ranging from traditional carols to non-standard Christmas songs that—while they might be unfamiliar to audiences—are mainstays for the choirs. One such carol, “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” has become HGC’s best-known performance piece.

However, RCS president Rosie C. Thede ’06 emphasizes the appeal of singing traditional Christmas songs.

“It is more than just a Christmas concert. You’re getting a lot of beautiful music, but you also get to sing along with the Christmas carols you’ve always loved,” says Thede.

The Kuumba Singers concert, “We Have Heard Angels,” also encourages audience participation and enthusiasm with its gospel music and Negro spirituals. Yet Kuumba promises a different take on holiday music for this year’s Christmas concert, which will feature a more reflective tone.

“What makes this concert so special is that we have so many pieces wrapped in this ethereal, haunting sound. I think the title speaks for itself, so beautiful, so moving,” says Michael L. Vinson ’07, Kuumba’s president.

“This concert is focusing more on the spirit behind Christmas. The songs are a little quieter and subdued but do get to that sort of peaceful, quiet, Christmas feel.”

In addition, Harvard’s oldest a capella group, the Krokodiloes, join co-ed a capella singers the Callbacks to perform their annual winter concert. Seasonal merriment is sure to ensue.