Baubles, Bows, and Strings: A Bob Baker Holiday

It's year 53 for the celebrated puppet theater's merry extravaganza.

Maybe the wags and pundits and cultural observers are dead right: When it comes to the holidays, we desire comfy and we want cozy and above all we seek out nostalgic pleasures.

True, we'll turn out for the latest bow-topped blockbuster, but are we all going to re-watch "It's a Wonderful Life" for the 20th time and "Scrooged" for the 12th? Yeah, we are.

And it is no surprise, then, that we want, for our kids, the sort of holiday fun we experienced as tots. That's why the Rankin & Bass '60s Christmas specials get so much play every year, in large, part, and that's why esteemed puppeteer Bob Baker continues to reign as the puppet king in Angelenos' hearts.

Well, one reason among many. His marionettes -- many of which will be prancing and dancing in his annual Holiday Spectacular, which cavorts through Sunday, Jan. 5 -- are charming as all get-out, as hand-designed artworks made with love tend to be.

Over 100 marionettes call upon Hanukkah traditions and traditional Christmas activities during the show, a show in which the little kids are invited to sit on a carpet "horseshoe" that borders the audience-level stage. The Wizard of Fantasy and Demi Star are two main characters, so prepare for a few stories that are wend away, whimsically, from the typical yuletide fare.

The theater itself is a local gem, and if you went as a child back in the '70s, you'll feel as if time hasn't changed a thing. (It really hasn't, thank goodness.)

Tickets? Twenty dollars, though wee ones under the age of two get in for free.

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