by AMY BARRATT

December 25 is just a week away and we are entering what someone very dear to me calls "the time of great darkness when time stands still." I don't know about time, but those line-ups at the checkout counters sure don't seem to be moving. And no, Georgia, we are not visiting Santa again - that line stretches around the block…

Sorry, what was I saying? Right, here are some theatre-related gift suggestions for everyone on your list, from Scrooge to Tiny Tim. Most can be obtained through dialing or clicking, with no need to don the mukluks.

FOR FAMILIES Hudson is one of the most beautiful places on earth when the snow falls, and it's also the home of Village Theatre's (28 Wharf, Hudson) annual holiday pantomime. Nothing to do with Marcel Marceau, this British tradition for the whole family usually presents an adaptation of a fairy tale complete with songs, cross-dressing and gags for the adults. Village Theatre's offering this year is Sleeping Beauty. With mostly matinée performances, the show runs Fridays (except Dec. 26) to Sundays until Jan. 4, $10–$15, (450) 458-5361.

Later in January, the Saidye Bronfman Centre's Youth Institute (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine) offers a plethora of performances for children of all ages. Artapalooza, Jan. 25–Feb. 8, features music, dance, puppetry, clowns and more from Ontario, Quebec City, Montreal and Israel, $8.25–$10.50. There's also a "Family Flexi-Pass" available, which is good for eight tickets, child or adult, to any show or combination of shows, $64. For details on the various shows, go to the www.saidyebronfman.org, click on Youth Institute, then on Artapalooza. To book, call 739-7944.

FOR THE NOMINALLY ADULT Centaur's seventh annual Wildside festival is a sort of Artapalooza for grown-ups. It runs Jan. 6–17 and includes five shows, all but one of them culled from the 2003 Fringe festival. Call the Centaur box office for info and reservations, 288-3161.

infinitheatre is doing Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death as a fundraiser in February. A classic whodunnit set in Jerusalem, it's being directed by Guy Sprung at the Bain St-Michel (5300 St-Dominique). Tickets are a cool 100 bucks, but if you order before Dec. 24 they're available at the member's rate of $90 - a little pricey but you can write off $80 worth as a tax deduction and it's truly a gift that keeps on giving. The show runs Feb. 12–21, and if you give tickets as a gift, you don't have to specify a date, 987-1774 ext 3.

FOR SHUT-INS This is not to imply that watching theatre on video is the same as getting out and seeing it live, but some nights it's the best we can do. So why not have top-notch stuff on hand?

The title says it all: the BBC Shakespeare Tragedies DVD Giftbox. It'll be a bloody, bloody holiday with Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Othello and Romeo and Juliet. (Imagine the happiness your favourite curmudgeon will derive from grumbling that Caesar should have made way for Lear). The set contains performances by the likes of Sir John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, and Anthony Hopkins. And nothing says "time of great darkness" like the grimacing tragedy mask on the box, $149.99.

>> Stage Listings