Tibbits Opera House is ready to celebrate the holidays, and has scheduled a wide variety of shows to help audiences create cherished memories as the weather gets colder and the snow begins to fall in mid-Michigan.

First, community spirit and Christmas joy comes to Coldwater, as Tibbits plays host to the annual Branch County Community Theatre Community Christmas Extravaganza on Friday evening, December 5, with a start time of 7:00 p.m. This community event features music, laughter, and performances from some of the most talented artists in the region. Tickets for the Community Christmas Extravaganza are $12, including fees.

On December 6, Tibbits welcomes the family-friendly rock opera experience of The Wizards of Winter. If community members and longtime Tibbits attendees enjoyed Siberian Solstice or like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, they will love Wizards of Winter. Tickets for this show are between $25 and $54, including fees, and this show will start at 3:00 p.m., to allow attendees to attend the Coldwater Holiday Parade later that evening.

A week later, Tibbits will host members of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, as on Friday morning, December 12, a Woodwind Quintet will perform the symphonic fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf,” for groups of students from the community. There will be two performances, at 9:15 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. School officials interested in having their students attend are urged to contact the Tibbits office at 517-278-6029 to reserve tickets.

Later that night, Tibbits will welcome the Burdick-Thorne String Quartet from the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, as these four talented musicians perform a holiday concert, filled with festive moods, warm feelings, and holiday music. Tickets for this festive holiday experience range from $10 to $25, including fees.

On Saturday, December 13, Tibbits Film Series returns with the first in a trio of films that will run through the holiday season, “The Polar Express.” Tibbits invites viewers to rediscover the spirit and rekindle their belief in the magic of Christmas as they join a young boy on an unforgettable ride on The Polar Express. As with last year’s showing, Tibbits is excited to offer a hot chocolate bar before the show staffed by the Kiwanis Club of Coldwater. The film starts at 2:00 p.m., and the hot chocolate bar begins at 1:00 p.m. Admission for the hot chocolate bar is $5 at the door, and tickets for the film itself are by donation.

On Friday night, December 19, Tibbits welcomes back comedy magician Jonathon LaChance, who brings his Christmas Magic Show to the Tibbits stage. Last seen on the Tibbits stage during the Popcorn Theatre season in the summer of 2025, LaChance’s family friendly performance blends spectacular illusions, holiday charm, and his own signature comedy into a show fit for all ages. Tickets for The Christmas Magic Show are between $10 and $30, including fees.

The Tibbits Film Series continues the following Saturday, December 20, with the 2024 film “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” Based on the 1971 book by Barbara Robinson, the film follows the Herman children, six awful kids who are known around town for being brutish bullies. When they get cast in the church’s Christmas pageant, everyone assumes disaster, but could it actually be the best Christmas pageant ever? Tibbits invites audiences to find out for themselves with this hilarious film about the true spirit of Christmas. The film begins at 2:00 p.m., with a pizza party and Christmas treats at 1:00 p.m. in the Ghost Light Bar. As with “The Polar Express,” tickets to the movie are by donation, while the pizza party is $5 at the door.

Finally, once Christmas comes and goes, that doesn’t mean the festivities are done! On Saturday, January 3 at 2:00 p.m., Tibbits Film Series welcomes audiences back for a screening of the John Candy and Dan Akroyd 1988 comedy “The Great Outdoors.” Chet Ripley, his wife Connie, and their sons arrive at their lakefront cabin for a relaxing summer vacation, but those plans are ruined when Connie’s sister and her husband, along with their twin daughters, arrive uninvited. As though to recapture the summer, Tibbits is putting on its own cookout, featuring hot dogs and soda, before the film! As with previous Tibbits Film Series screenings, tickets to the movie are by donation, while entry to the cookout is $5 at the door.

All performances and films will be held at the historic Tibbits Opera House, 14 South Hanchett Street in Coldwater, Mich. For tickets, reservations and information, visit Tibbits.org, stop at Tibbits administrative offices at 93 W. Chicago St. in Coldwater, or call 517-278-6029.