• The Olympic Torch Relay is in town for three days beginning today. As part of the celebrations, the torch will be stopping for parties at both the Scarborough Civic Centre and Nathan Phillips Square.


• Disney On Ice Presents Princess Classics is on at the Rogers Centre beginning on Friday and continuing until December 27th.


• Canadian Children's Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG - dances for a sacred season on Saturday and Sunday as part of Harbourfront Centre's NextSteps programming.


• For book-loving youth, McNally Robinson Booksellers events for this weekend include signings of the children's books A Winter Solstice Celebration and The Imaginary Garden, plus the YA novel Gravity Brings Me Down.


• Seasonal events continue at Toronto's many city museums - browse the museum events for craft workshops and family events.


• The Cavalcade of Lights continues around the city including a Saturday night concert by Faber Drive in Nathan Phillips Square followed by an Alternative skating party with DJ Misty Rock n' Roll.


• Skating parties and lessons also continue at Harbourfront Centre's Natrel Rink.


• On Saturday and Sunday an interactive puppet game show at the Ontario Science Centre explores water conservation, water protection and water science.


• As was previously mentioned here on the blog, both the TSO's and Tafelmusik's presentations of Messiah continue through the weekend, including the latter's sing-along version on Sunday.


• And of course whether you actually have holiday shopping to finish this weekend or just love the crush of a stressed out crowd laden with bags, most Toronto malls have extended hours for your shopping, urm, "pleasure".

If you're an event planner hosting something this weekend, feel free to tell us about it in the comments section below. For later events, add them to the December User-Posted Event Listings (or the user posted events for January).

The first round of Toronto Public Health's H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccination clinics have now closed, but the city has announced 11 more days of public clinics in January. These clinics are intended both to give young children the second dose they may require and to give everyone else a chance to get vaccinated if they missed the first round. Of course flu shots may also be available from your doctor or a community clinic in your area.

According to the CBC article about the second set of clinics, Toronto Public Health already immunized 228,934 people this season. Were you one of them?

• Get all the details on the January clinics from www.toronto.ca/health/

Tomorrow both the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra begin presenting the seasonal tradition, Handel's Messiah. The TSO has concerts on the 16th and from the 18th to the 21st, with tickets ranging from $35-$99. Tafelmusik's concerts continue to Saturday night with tickets from $39-$89 (less for seniors and those under 30). Then on Sunday afternoon Tafelmusik moves to Massey Hall for Sing-Along Messiah ($39 general admission, with discounts for groups, seniors, and those 30 and under).

So do you Messiah? Or will you be attending for the first time this year?

• www.tso.ca
• www.tafelmusik.org

Beginning next September, the Ontario government is beginning to phase in full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds. The phasing in means certain schools will begin offering programs earlier than others, and late last week both the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board released lists outlining where they are recommending that the first classes be offered. It's already known that not all of the schools on the lists will be included in the first year - the TCDSB proposed 38 schools expecting 28 to be approved, and the TDSB suggests 209 classes across 75 schools, knowing that only 190 programs will make the final list.

To see if your local school has at least made the first-round lists, go directly to the news release on the TDSB website or for the Catholic board visit www.tcdsb.org and click the link to the December 11th letter to parents.