Don’t wait until Winter break to dust off the old holiday albums. There are plenty of musical events around campus to help students get into the Holiday Spirit.

Kick off the Christmas season with The Other Guys, the University’s men’s a capella group. At 8 p.m. on December 5, they will perform their annual Christmas concert at Foellinger Auditorium, a tradition that goes back 41 years. They will be joined by the University’s dance group, the Illinettes, for the second year in a row.

“It was a blast last year, and we thought why not do it two year in a row?” said Other Guy Wyatt Farris, junior in Media, about singing and dancing with the Illinettes.

Their concert guarantees a night of singing, dancing and a variety of popular music. Alex Concordia, junior in FAA, said that The Other Guys will be performing their entire repertoire at the Christmas concert.

“We try and have a good amount of new songs, pop songs, plus a collection of classics and Christmas songs,” Farris said. This year’s music selection includes songs by Michael Buble, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, The Beatles, Chris Brown and more. Of course there will be a number of Christmas carols to sing along to as well.

Students are invited to continue a weekend of musical fun with the annual Carol Concert at 3 p.m. on December 6 in the Krannert Center’s Foellinger Great Hall put on by the School of Music. The concert will include performances by student instrumentalists and choruses celebrating the winter season.

If your indulgence in holiday music is still not satisfied, join the Krannert Center Student Association for the Winter Lights Festival. Beginning at 4 p.m. on December 6 in the lobby of the Krannert Center, there will be live music, lights and more to showcase all that we love about winter.

December 10, the Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra, or CUSO, will celebrate not only the winter season, but their 50th anniversary of their first year performing in the Krannert Center’s Great Hall.

The CUSO is professional orchestra made up of about one-third University music performance students along with local instrumentalists and faculty, said Jeffrey Cornell, development director for CUSO. They provide students with the opportunity to play professionally before graduating to gain valuable performance experience, Cornell said.

Their annual Christmas concert will feature the CUSO, the Chorale, and the Parkland Singers. Cornell said that Santa Clause will also make a guest appearance at the family-oriented performance.

The instrumentalists and the choruses will showcase many familiar Christmas carols, both traditional and contemporary. The complete list of songs can be found on the CUSO Web site.

“We do fun things like the 12 Days of Christmas,” Cornell said. “There is always a sing along at the end.”