Here is our curated round-up of what’s on in Scotland this December, from wreath making to art exhibitions to Sunday jazz clubs
1. Edinburgh University Chamber Choir performance
When: 3rd December, 3pm
Where: St James Quarter, Edinburgh
What’s better than some carols to get you feeling the warm and fuzzies? Well, this Sunday 3rd December you can do just that, by enjoying the dulcet tones of the Edinburgh University Chamber Choir at the St James Quarter.
Get into the Christmassy vibe then have a look around the shops for some last-minute gifting ideas. And the recently-opened W Hotel in the Quarter is the perfect pit-stop for some festive cocktails, too.
2. Hinba Coffee x Braw Blooms wreath making workshop
View this post on Instagram
When: Saturday 9th December
Where: Hinba Specialty Coffee, 721 Pollokshaws Road Glasgow G41 2AA
Create a suitably festive addition to your front door by making your own wreath at this workshop, hosted by Braw Blooms.
Taking place at Strathbungo’s Hinba coffee shop, there’ll be lots of festive refreshments and treats on hand for when you get tired of crafting, and lots of festive fun from getting creative and meeting new people.
5. ‘I held you here, in my two hands’ Rhona Jack exhibition
View this post on Instagram
When: Saturday 2nd December – Sunday 11th February
Where: Verdant Works, W Henderson’s Wynd, Dundee, DD1 5BT
Multi-disciplinary artist Rhona Jack will be hosting an exhibition of her artwork at Dundee’s Verdant Works, which delves into the personal histories that we attach to objects through the tender and healing acts of sewing, mending and meditative making.
Comprised of pieces created while in residence at PADA Studios, Portugal, and while working on a project with Creative Scots, the exhibit examines and explores cycles of production, consumption and waste through pieces created through sculpture and fibre art. “Using second-hand clothes as a material, I delve into the dichotomy of the personal histories that we attach to clothing and their status as a throw-away commodity,” she says.
In 2017 Rhona graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design with a BAHons in Fine Art and has been exhibiting work and working with communities on participatory art projects since then, both in Scotland and abroad, proving herself as one to watch.
4. Le Petit Beefbar’s Swinging Sunday Jazz Lunch
When: Every Sunday throughout December
Where: Le Petit Beefbar, 21-25 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PB
Settle into a relaxed Sunday with smooth jazz and moreish dishes at Edinburgh’s Le Petit Beefbar as they launch a new jazz club every Sunday through December.
On the Sunday lunch menu includes dishes like slow roasted black Angus beef striploin served alongside a Yorkshire pudding, Wagyu beef dripping roast potatoes, carrots, broccolini and roasted shallots covered in a rich, bone marrow gravy.
Jazz fans can look forward to performances from Douglas Whates and Euan Stevenson, who will kick off the month on December 3rd, Lorna Reid on December 10th and Saxaphonist Konrad Wiszniewski on 17th December.
4. Zarina Bhimji exhibition
When: Now until Sunday 28th January 2024
Where: Fruitmarket, 45 Market St, Edinburgh, EH1 1DF
Explore an exhibition that spans the career of esteemed British artist Zarina Bhimji in Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket gallery.
It begins with She Loved to Breathe – Pure Silence (1987), a photo- text installation that explores politics, voice, beauty and love as forms of resistance. This is joined by a new film, Blind Spot (2023). Shot in London this summer,it engages with ideas of home. Also included in the exhibition is Bhimji’s first film, Out of Blue (2002), an allusive exploration of the extermination and erasure of particular groups by a state; and Waiting (2007), an atmospheric wander around a stilled factory that processed sisal into twine.
5. Meet Santa at Sterling Home Tillicoutry 
When: Weekends through December
Where: Sterling Home Tillicoultry, 76 Moss Rd, Tillicoultry, FK13 6NS
Heads up parents and grandparents; Santa will be going through his naughty and nice list at Sterling Home Tillicoultry at weekends this December to raise money for Alloa Rotary Club.
Bring along your wee ones for the chance to meet and get a photo with Santa and maybe even get a present to take home with them.
6. Bard Scotland exhibition: The Grit and the Glamour
View this post on Instagram
Where: Bard, 1 Customs Wharf, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6AL
When: 12th November until 28th January 2024
Edinburgh craft and design shop Bard are hosting their first exhibition named ‘The Grit and the Glamour’, a celebration ‘of the rough and the smooth’ of life.
The exhibition examines the balance between the rough and smooth of life. Too much smoothness – self-service checkouts, noise-cancelling headphones, quiet luxury – makes life too boring, too same-y. Friction helps create a fire within us, and brings forth zest for life, resilience and creativity.
The artworks on show will examine the balance between messiness and the streamline, through crafted pieces, photography and textile works.
