ART

MONDAY TREAT Families with children on vacation can enjoy the Metropolitan Museum of Art when it breaks from its typical schedule to remain open Monday. Sites worth seeing: the Christmas tree in the Medieval wing, Duccio’s Madonna and Child, recently acquired for $45 million, and couture takes on ostrich feathers in the Costume Institute exhibit “Wild: Untamed.” Monday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street, 212-535-7710, $12 suggested donation.

SPIRITUALITY MEETS SCIENCE For her new installation, “Nano Mandala,” Victoria Vesna collaborated with nanoscientist James Gimzewski. A video based on the molecular structure of a single grain of sand is projected onto an 8-foot disk of sand on the gallery’s floor. The projection evolves into a mandala designed by monks in India. Reception: Tonight, 6-8 p.m. Exhibit: Tomorrow through Saturday, January 29, Tuesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m., Location One, 26 Greene St., between Canal and Grand streets, 212-334-3347, free.

ONLINE ART All the participants in the group show “Buy It Now” used the auction Web site eBay as inspiration or for materials. Pattie Lee Becker’s sculpture “The Collector” incorporates eBay purchases including a Ziploc bag of porcupine quills ($12) and a taxidermy bird ($5). The show’s curator, Megan Foster, contributed a silkscreen depicting a dish stacker that she bought on the site for $5. Sarah Sweeney’s photograph “El Capitan Revised” is a version of one of 22,000 slides documenting 20 years of a family’s history – on eBay, the trove cost $17. The work in the show is also on sale on the auction site. Look for items being sold by “BlackWhite718.” Through Monday, January 31, Friday-Monday, noon-6 p.m., Black & White Gallery, 483 Driggs Ave., between North 9th and North 10th streets, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, free.

CHRISTMAS

UPTOWN CAROLS Christmas Eve at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine starts with a Festival of Lessons and Carols, featuring the Cathedral Choristers singing the music of William Mathias, Peter Warlock, and John Joubert (4 p.m.). The Christ Mass, with the Right Reverend Mark Sisk preaching, includes music for strings, brass, and organ, as well as carols by the Cathedral Choristers (10:30 p.m.). On Christmas Day, the cathedral hosts a concert of early music, “A Colonial Christmas: Christmastide in 18th century America” (3 p.m.). The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave., 212-662-2133, www.stjohndivine.org.

CHOO-CHOO CHRISTMAS A model train exhibit at Citigroup Center celebrates the holiday in small scale. A miniature world decorated in the style of mid-century New York bustles with holiday activities. “High Noon” plays in a miniature drive in theater and children decorate a Christmas tree as the train winds its way through the scenery. Through January 1, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m., Citigroup Center atrium, 153 E. 53rd St. at Lexington Avenue, 212-559-1747, free.

DANCE

TRIUMPHANT BODIES The Alvin Ailey Dance Company performs through the holidays. “Shining Star,” “Love Stories,” and “Revelations” are on the program. Friday and Saturday (8 p.m., $25 and up). City Center, West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-581-1212, $25-$100.

FAMILY

WINTER WILDLIFE The reindeer at the Bronx Zoo are eager for a visit, and the place is transformed for the holidays with an elaborate light display. Through January 9, nightly except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 5-9 p.m., Bronx Zoo, Bronx River Pkwy. and Fordham Road, Bronx, 718-367-1010, $10 general, $7 children and seniors.

DOWN ON THE FARM Apple cider is on offer at a holiday open house at the Queens County Farm Museum, which maintains a farm dating back to the 1660s. The farmhouse is a New York City landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Monday and Tuesday, noon-4 p.m., Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, Queens, 718-347-3276, free.

NEW NUTCRACKER “Clara’s Christmas Dreams” is a new adaptation of “The Nutcracker” that is told all in verse accompanied by music and dancing. E. Thomalen’s interpretation sets the story in Hamburg against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and follows Clara as she sinks into a high fever she caught when she brought presents to a nearby soldier’s hospital. The StageRight Productions show is intended for children between the ages of 4 and 14. Through Friday, December 31, Friday, 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, 1, 4, and 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 and 5 p.m., Monday, 7 p.m., occasional additional performances, the Theatre at Saint Clements Church, 423 W. 46th St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues, 212-352-3101, $50.

KWANZAA

MUSEUM KICK-OFF A drumming call and processional, a gospel performance by Melba Moore, and music and dance from Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Africa are part of an afternoon celebration of Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural holiday observed this year between December 26 and January 1. Talent includes Tonel LaKay Drum and Dance, William Cepeda & Grupo Afro Boricua, and Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn. Other diversions: Special Kwanzaa foods and a marketplace for crafts, jewels, and fashion from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Sunday, noon-5 p.m., Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, first floor, American Museum of Natural History, 212-769-5100, free with suggested museum admission, $13 adults, $7.50 children, $10 seniors and students.

PARK CELEBRATIONS The Central Park Conservancy hosts events in celebration of Kwanzaa. On the first day of Kwanzaa, storyteller Christine Campbell relates the history and meaning of the holiday, with an arts and crafts workshop to follow (Sunday, 3-4:30 p.m.). Next up is a traditional African drum and dance workshop with instructor Shaun Banks (Tuesday, 3-4:30 p.m.). A job fair follows with representatives from the conservancy, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Police Department, and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (Wednesday, 3-4:30 p.m.).The final event is a local talent showcase with Def Dance Jam, the Quadrille Dance Group, Taneka Shavelle Banks, and others (Thursday, 3-4:30 p.m.). All events at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, Central Park, 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox avenues, 212-360-1370, free.

NATURE

PINING AWAY The Benenson Ornamental Conifers are back on view at the New York Botanical Garden after an extensive five-year restoration. The 15-acre site includes more than 400 conifers from all over the world, including 200 new trees that were added during the renovation. A concurrent exhibit at the garden’s library, “Cultured Conifers,” features botanical illustrations and rare books. Garden: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road, Bronx, 718-817-8700, $13 general, $11 seniors, $5 children ages 2 through 12, free for younger children. Exhibit: Through January 30, Tuesday-Thursday, noon-6 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon-5 p.m., NYBG Library, Rondina and Lo-Faro Gallery, 718-817-8604, free with garden admission.

NEW YEAR

SPRINTING INTO 2005 The Midnight Run in Central Park brings out thousands of runners dressed in costume for dancing, parading, and racing. Motivating participants during the 4-mile run in the chill of winter is a spectacular display of fireworks – and champagne at the halfway mark. What a virtuous way to start the New Year. Friday, December 31, 10 p.m. dancing, 11 p.m. parade, midnight race, Central Park, 72nd Street Traverse, 212-860-4455, $35.

SHOPPING

METRO SAVINGS As part of its centennial celebration, the MTA lets passengers use their MetroCards as a discount pass in a variety of Chinatown businesses. Participants include Lucky 11 restaurant, Pearl of the Orient Gallery, Cathay Jewelry, and Green Tea Cafe. Through Friday, December 31, various locations. See www.explorechinatown.com for full list of participants.

SPORTS

TOP DOGS AND UNDERDOGS Though baseball season is over, die-hard fans can get a fix at “Subway Series.” The Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Queens Museum of Art present a pair of exhibits that celebrate their respective boroughs’ baseball heroes. Both locations: Through December 31. Bronx Museum of the Arts: Wednesday, noon-9 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, noon-6 p.m., 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, Bronx, 718-681-6000, $5 general, $3 seniors and students, free for members and children under 12, free for all on Wednesdays. Queens Museum of Art: Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, 718-592-9700 ext. 137, $5 suggested general, $2.50 suggested children and seniors, free for members and children under 5.

THEATER

TRYING TIMES Andre Gide and Jean-Louis Barrault’s adaptation of Kafka’s “The Trial” opens this week. John Lenartz stars as Joseph K. in the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble production. Friday through Sunday, January 9, days vary, 8 p.m. all days except Sundays, 3 p.m., the Mint Space, 311 W. 43rd St. at Eighth Avenue, fifth floor, 212-352-3101, $15.

FLYING FRANKENSTEIN The Flying Machine theater troupe reimagines Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” as a “winter’s fairy tale.” Saturday through Saturday, January 8, Tuesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Soho Repertory Theater, 46 Walker St., between Broadway and Church Street, 212-868-4444, $15. Note: No performances on Tuesday, December 14 and Saturday, January 1, and the week of December 20.

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