Holiday songs are a love-hate proposition. At their best, such tunes provide for an evocative seasonal soundtrack. However, they're just as likely to be nauseous, like that cheese log your aunt gave you last year. The year's most ambitious effort comes from the award-winning Tacoma Concert Band. The symphonic band will present its annual Holiday Traditions, but it's not the same old music you'll hear on the radio and in every store and elevator, but sprinkled among the usual chestnuts will be fascinating new variations on familiar holiday themes. KIRO's Dave Ross will read The Night Before Christmas as reimagined by composer Randol Bass. Also featured will be vocalist Melanie Vail, composers Leroy Anderson, Serge Prokofiev, Victor Herbert, and Percy Grainger, among others, plus several arrangements in the style of Mannheim Steamroller. The lion's share of this bounty isn't simply good holiday fare; it's good music, period. Talk about a Christmas miracle.

TACOMA CONCERT BAND'S HOLIDAY TRADITIONS, 2:30 p.m., Rialto Theater, 310 N. Ninth St., Tacoma, $18-$36, 253.591.5894