Between December 1938 and September 1939, through the singular generosity of the United Kingdom, ten thousand children found refuge in England. Of these, only a thousand were ever reunited with their parents.

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“Food, Glorious Food” sets the scene as hungry little orphans line up for a meager meal. Among their number is plucky, pint-sized Oliver Twist, who manages to prevail over the system. Charles Dickens” timeless characters will fill the Town Hall stage as “Oliver!” the musical by Lionel Bart, plays through Dec. 27, directed by the multi-talented Christopher Willard, with musical direction by Donna Debreceni. Town Hall Arts Center offers this family show in its historic theater at 2450 W. Main St., downtown Littleton. 303-794-2787 ext. 5; www.townhallartscenter.com.

Act I opens with scruffy, depressed, kleptomaniac Maggie (Sara Mae Johnson) clutching a shopping bag filled with her latest acquisitions. With her is preachy 12 Step advocate Paul (David Harms), formerly an expert in safe-cracking, who declares that he has been “theft-free” for 686 days. He wants to enlist her in one of his many 12 Step programs: this one is for recovering thieves.

Welcome visions of sugarplums — and lovely Sugarplum Fairies — dance in my head this time of year. A visit to a performance of “The Nutcracker” with excited little girls dressed in party finery is a happy memory, followed up by granddaughter outings. Local families have a number of choices, dates, locations to enjoy this holiday classic. These arrived on our desk:

A doe-eyed puppy sits at the corner of a busy intersection, his silky golden coat shining in the sun as he looks both ways.