Whassup: Pre-X-Mas Edition

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Check it out: we know your real Holiday plans next week involve flying to the terrible lands we call "Not New York" and/or doing the Chinese-food-and-a-movie thing, so Park Slope's bars are gearing up with seasonal events THIS week. So, go get sloshed with the Holiday Spirit and/or Jameson with Whassup: Pre-X-Mas Edition:

* Thursday, Dec. 15: No-Office Holiday Party, Littlefield: FIPS teams up with BK bloggers-in-arms The Skint, Brokelyn, and Brooklyn Based to give all you cofficing freelancers the holiday office party you deserve. Comedy! Spiked punch! Real-life comment sections (aka, conversation)! 7:30pm, $5.

* Friday, Dec. 16: Nightmare Christmas Karaoke, Branded Saloon: Sing the frickin' tinsel off a tree with your best Mariah Carey X-mas holler. A real, live rock show by local BK artists, including North English, precedes the karaoke. 8pm, FREE.

* Saturday, Dec. 17: Critter Volunteering, Flirt Boutique: Combine the "awww" of doing something good for the holidays with the "awww" of fuzzy little things with fangs. The Rational Animal Mother's Comfort Project seeks cat and dog-loving volunteers to help sew beds for the four-legged. The nests will gather fur in shelters across NYC. 12pm-4pm. 

* Saturday, Dec. 17: Harry Potter Yule Ball, Bell House: Full disclosure, I have a friend who nerds out pretty hard over Harry Potter (amongst other things), and she told me last year's Yule Ball was a little too geekily intense even for her. So, be warned. But if you think you can handle some full-on Gryffendorkery, come join wizard-influenced indie band Harry and the Potters and a bunch of people dressed in robes. 5pm, $18.

* Sunday, Dec. 18: Muppet X-Mas, Union Hall: The Henson enthusiasts at Muppet Vault present perhaps the only mythical, childhood creatures to trump Santa, with screenings of beloved and rare Muppet holiday specials. And it's at a bar, so you can get drunk while you watch a kid's show, just like Jim Henson would have wanted. 2pm, $8.

* Monday, Dec. 19: Holiday Hot Tub, Littlefield: It's the yule-tide edition of big, blonde goofy comic Kurt Braunohler's humor variety show. Guests include Hannibal Buress, a 30 Rock scribe whose understated humor is a favorite of mine. It's gonna be like getting kissed under the mistletoe -- by laughter. 7:30pm Doors, $10-12.

* Tuesday, Dec. 20: Maude StorySLAM, Tea Lounge: FIPS' own fearless editrix Kerri Doherty again hosts her monthly story slam, with special guest Steve Burns (of Blue's Clues). Anyone can come share a story and/or gaze in wonder at the weird fans undulating the Tea Lounge wall. 7:30pm, FREE.