Christmas music: It can conjure a host of different Proustian involuntary memories. For example, it reminds my wife of Black Friday hell—because one year she worked a holiday shift at a department store and had to listen to the stuff non-stop. For me, it’s sort of a mix of emotions. There are the good memories I have of performing Christmas tunes as a kid learning to play the saxophone. There’s also the constant memory of feeling like “the other”—having been raised Jewish in a predominantly Christian society. 

But in the end, it’s just music. And we all have to face the fact that Christmas music (and maybe even those one or two Hanukkah songs out there) will be everywhere these next few weeks, whether we like it or not. Here’s a quick rundown of a few highlights—in case you want to hear some holiday tunes that aren’t completely lame.

The Yule Logs bring a mix of rocking—and funny—original holiday music to the Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink ($8, 6 p.m. on Friday, December 12 at St. Rose of Lima Park, 701 K Street; http://downtownsac.org/events/ice-rink). Jazz vocalist Vivian Lee and her quartet put their own take on seasonal songs in an intimate setting ($15, 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 14, at Fire Rock Grill, 11275 Folsom Boulevard in Rancho Cordova; www.facebook.com/VivianLeeQuartet). 

The Vocal Art Ensemble (www.vae.trug.com) performs three shows at different venues over the weekend, blending choral music with world music. And, Close to You: A Live Tribute to the Carpenters performs holiday tunes in a nightclub in the style of the famous pop group ($15-$18, 7 p.m. at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 2708 J Street; www.carpenterstributegroup.com). Want more? Other good holiday musical events abound at the Crocker Art Museum, Harris Center for the Arts and the Mondavi Center. Be sure to look them up—and listen.

—Jonathan Mendick