Best bets for this weekend include classic Christmas films and funny found footage

Happy (almost) weekend! We've all made it to this final pre-Christmas break, and we all deserve a treat. In service of that, The Dispatch has put together its weekly list of fun things to do this weekend.

Use our recommendations for theater, concerts and more to plan out your days off; we promise, you won't regret it.

Columbus arts scene: Local performing arts continue to grow, evolve

Coming up first, on Thursday, we have a found footage festival at the Wexner Center for the Arts. On Friday night, there are lots of options, including concerts by Anderson East and For King & Country. And on Sunday, catch the latest update on “Black Nativity 2021: Good News: We Made It" and the "Holiday Spectacular" by New Albany Symphony.

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All weekend long, you can see shows like “The Land of Forgotten Toys," movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" in theaters and even a scary attraction, Krampus Haunted Christmas Experience.

Take a trip to 'The Land of Forgotten Toys'

Abbey Theater of Dublin will present the greater Columbus premiere of “The Land of Forgotten Toys,” a youth theater one-act musical about a girl and her friend who, three days before Christmas, are magically transported to a legendary land where they meet an elf and Icicle Giant and discover that forgotten toys aren’t misfits and that their “flaws” are key to their success. Performances, suggested for ages 5 and older, are 7 p.m. Dec. 16-18 and 1 and 4 p.m. Dec. 18 at 5600 Post Road, Dublin. Tickets cost $10. Masks and proof of vaccination or negative COVID test required. (614-410-4550, dublinohiousa.gov/abbey-theater)

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Festival to feature found film footage at Wexner

At the “Found Footage Festival” at the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St., writers Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (“The Colbert Report”) will present assorted videos of questionable quality, taste and provenance. Highlights (so to speak) will include excerpts from the 1988 Miss Junior America Wisconsin pageant and what we can assume is a winter-weather exercise tape, “Skiercise.” The festival, featuring Pickett and Prueher in person, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16; a reception will begin in the lobby at 6:30 p.m. Masks are required. Tickets cost $16, or $13 for Wexner Center members. (www.wexarts.org)

'A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol' to be performed

Worthington Community Theater will present “A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol,” a fractured-fairy-tale, family-oriented version of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, with the Big Bad Wolf playing Ebenezer Scrooge and a Fairy Godmother, Old King Cole and the Queen of Hearts respectively playing the ghosts. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16-18, and 2 p.m. Dec. 19 at the McConnell Arts Center of Worthington, 777 Evening St., Worthington. Tickets cost $12, or $10 for students and senior citizens. Masks required. (614-431-0329, www.mcconnellarts.org)

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Pop-infused country on tap with Anderson East

Anderson East may be based in Nashville, Tennessee, but his music isn't constrained by country limitations. His new album, “Maybe We Never Die,” contains influences as seemingly opposed as disco and ‘90s R&B, and he's touring with a disco ball and a band including flute and trumpet. NPR Music calls his tunes an “’80s pop-infused elixir,” and Rolling Stone praises the “engaging soul of his voice.” Opening for him at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Newport Music Hall will be fellow Nashvillian Savannah Conley. Masks and proof of vaccination or negative COVID test are required. Tickets: $25 (614-461-5483, promowestlive.com)

For King & Country to perform at Value City Arena

Fans of “The Little Drummer Boy” will hear that classic done up right when For King & Country appears at 7 p.m. Dec. 17, in Value city Arena, Olentangy River Road and East Lane Avenue. Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, whose best-known song is “God Only Knows,” will be performing songs from “A Drummer Boy Christmas,” and other Christian-themed material, likely including recent No. 1 Billboard Christian single “Relate.” Expect drums aplenty, a passel of supporting musicians and a vivid light show. Masks required. (614-688-3939, schottensteincenter.com)

Have a merry, scary Christmas at two haunted zones

If you don't mind your holidays a little on the dark side, or if Columbus isn't quite snowy enough for you, head to the Krampus Haunted Christmas Experience from 7 to 11 p.m. Dec. 17-18 at Fear Columbus, 2605 Northland Plaza Drive. There you will make your way through two haunted zones, complete with live actors and music synced to a light show. One tells the creepy story of Krampus, that mythical Germanic figure who likes to punish naughty children at Christmastime. The other zone, “Aftermath: Frozen,” features a post-apocalyptic city beset by snow, fog and wind. Attractions not recommended for children younger than 12. Tickets: $29.99 (fearcolumbus.com)

Christmas classics light up the screen at Gateway Film Center

If you’d like to load up on cinematic Christmas classics, the Gateway Film Center is the place to be this weekend. As part of its monthlong Holiday Classics film series, three iconic films of the season will be shown multiple days and times: the musical “White Christmas” at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 and 1:30 p.m. Dec. 19; “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 17-18 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19; and “It’s a Wonderful Life” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17, 1:30 p.m. Dec. 18, and 4:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Masks are required. Tickets cost $9 to $12. (www.gatewayfilmcenter.org)

New Albany Symphony offering two holiday performances

The New Albany Symphony will present a pair of seasonal shows this weekend at the McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 W. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany. “Santa & the Symphony,” which will feature classics of the season in a sensory-friendly format tailored to those on the autism spectrum or suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, will be performed at 4 p.m. Dec. 18; and the perennially popular “Holiday Spectacular” program will be performed at 3 p.m. Dec. 19. Both shows will be conducted by Music Director Luis Biava. Masks are strongly recommended. Tickets cost $9 (“Santa & the Symphony”), or $18 to $26 (“Holiday Spectacular”). (www.newalbanysymphony.com)

Nia Performing Arts to present 'Black Nativity 2021'

Nia Performing Arts will present “Black Nativity 2021: Good News: We Made It,” an updated version of Langston Hughes’ holiday classic with new songs, choreography and technologies with a theme of post-pandemic survival. Performances are 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 18, at Ohio Dominican University’s Matesich Theatre, 1216 Sunbury Road. Tickets cost $20 to $30, or $15 for students ages 12 to 18 and senior citizens; or $10 for children 11 and younger. Masks required. (614-321-5098, niaperformingartsblacknativity.eventbrite.com)

Hilliard choruses to lift voices in seasonal song

For many, Christmas isn't Christmas without Handel's “Messiah.” Listen to the uplifting work as performed by the 30-member Hilliard Community Chorus at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 19. The 45th annual concert will include four soloists and will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra. Those who arrive by 3 p.m. will also enjoy a performance of holiday music by the Hilliard Youth Chorus. Masks and vaccination are highly recommended but not required. Admission is free, with any donations going to the Hilliard Arts Council. (www.hilliardartscouncil.org)

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here are the best things to do this weekend in Columbus