Well, we just heard Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" on the radio the other day (the kickoff song for the season), so it's official -- Santa Claus be coming to town. And with him comes an assortment of Bay Area secular holiday entertainment -- kittens in the windows of Macy's, the Kristi Yamaguchi ice-skating rink at Justin Herman Plaza, caroling children thrown out of Union Square and then shamefacedly reinvited at the command of Mayor Gavvie Gav to sing at City Hall instead..... and how could we forget? Tap-dancing Christmas trees!

The Oakland Trib profiles some of the more unique Bay Area Christmas entertainers, including the 28-member strong tap-dancing Christmas tree troupe (what does it take to become a member? "Limbs." Ba-dum-bump!), the trumpet-playing gorilla Santa Claus, the Incredible Hulk Santa, and the Nerd Elf, among many, many others. And The Standing Room gives us the lowdown on the itinerant life of the seasonal Dickensian caroler. (Who knew there were four verses of Jingle Bells?)

So while you're frantically trying to get all your presents purchased (maybe at some of the stores we're profiling?), don't forget to kick back for a bit and enjoy the scene -- over a cup of scammed free cider from Williams-Sonoma. Seen any other good entertainers?

Pictures courtesy of The Standing Room. Check out that sexy tap-dancing Christmas tree hip-wiggle!

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