Three to See Christmas: Dazzling Grindstone and Taylor Mac holiday specials

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Grindstone Comedy Christmas Special: Hosted by the saucy-hilarious Kathleen McGee with musical guests Aladean Kheroufi and the Royal Foundry, this 45-minute super-special premieres Christmas night, featuring Donovan Workun as a sultry Santa Claus, plus some true winter Alberta content. Local theatre kids Byron Martin, Derrick Johnson, Malachi Wilkins, Kyle Canniff, Ruth Alexander, Benjamin Blyth, Abby Vandenberghe, Natasha Lyn Myles, Lee Boyes and Clayton Plamondon “will take cheap shots at all that is sacred and decent,” according to the cyber billet — and their take on those always-late getting going Alberta government online updates looks especially hilarious. Also available as a pay-per-view after the live stream. It’s Christmas during a semi-lockdown, what else you gonna do?

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Details: 8 p.m. at grindstonetheatre.ca, name your price starting at $5

Holiday Sauce … Pandemic!: The best-dressed thing I’ve watched all year, superstar Taylor Mac’s forced-virtual tribute to his drag burlesque mentor Mother Flawless Sabrina disguised as a holiday special is eye-popping from its first seconds. A playful, thoughtful, raunchy and hilarious antidote to the anodyne and supposedly normal, this is just the bubbling musical cocktail anyone who doesn’t feel quite at home navigating their very existence needs for the holidays. There’s nudity, body diversity, sexual humour and above all costumes by the indomitable Machine Dazzle — don’t miss this if you want to see an explosive endorsement of cutting edge culture that makes Queer Eye and Ru Paul’s Drag Race look tame … and to know you are loved, whoever you are. 65 mins.

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Details: On demand through Jan. 2 at taylormac.com, $10 US up

First We Eat (2020): Putting food sovereignty to the test in the far North of Canada –- filmmaker Suzanne Crocker — removes absolutely all grocery store food from her house. For one year, she feeds her family of five only food that can be hunted, fished, gathered, grown or raised around Dawson City, Yukon, on the traditional territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Add three skeptical teenagers, one reluctant husband, no salt, no caffeine, no sugar and -40C temperatures. Hot Docs Top 5 audience award, 103 mins.

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Details: Rentable through Jan. 15 though metrocinema.org, $9.99

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