Thursday, November 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Come and be dazzled by the sparkling, holiday lights of Ronald McDonald House of Fort Lauderdale. Each twinkle represents a night stay for a family of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida. Both companies and individuals are encouraged to make the season a little bit brighter for a family who has a sick child at the hospital by sponsoring their stay for as little as $15 per night. Last year, 2,000 nights at the house were covered by the generous donations of others. Enjoy the “Share A Night” lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. with food tasting and refreshing cocktails, along with live entertainment by the Barefoot Elves. Presenting Sponsor is Broward Health. Tickets are $25 per person in advance.

Thursday, November 29 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

FIU’s Interior Design Program’s annual Festival of the Trees marks the start of the holiday season with festive creations by top local and international design professionals. The month-long showcase of holiday trees kicks off with a gala party. Meet the designers and celebrate the season with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 (cash or check) at the door. Proceeds help fund student scholarships and lecture programs. Purchase tickets at Arango in Dadeland Mall (305-661-4229); Knoll, Inc. in the Miami Design District (305-571-0900); AIA Miami Offices in Coral Gables (305-448-7488); Tom Grabowski’s Office in Coral Gables (305-669-2550); and at FIU (305-348-6101).

Monday, December 3

Celebrate with Miami artist Sheila Elias her retrospective that will travel to museums and galleries throughout North America. Accompanying the exhibit will be “Somewhere-Anywhere,” a monograph of Elias, written and edited by noted critics and curators LA Peter Frank and NY Robert Morgan. This prolific and adventurous multimedia artist connects life and art through aesthetics and social consciousness. Her work, shown in major museum collections, includes paintings, photographs, sculptures and installations. Pictured: “Shattered”

Friday, December 7 at 6 p.m.

Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce will host its Second Annual Holiday Gala, honoring the accomplishments of Black professionals and businesses in the South Florida community. Honorees are Tom Joyner from the # 1 rated Tom Joyner Morning Show, R. Donahue Peebles, President, The Peebles Corporation, and Yvette Miley , Vice President of News, WTVJ/NBC-6. It's cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner and awards ceremony at 8:30, and a rocking after-party with “Old School R&B” music group, Midnight Star, till 1. a.m. Tickets are $100 for individuals and $1250 for a corporate table of ten.

Beginning December 8

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden will open an exhibition of one of the world's most iconic Pop artists, Roy Lichtenstein. Fairchild, one of the world's premier botanic gardens and Miami-Dade County's oldest cultural institution, will host the large scale sculpture exhibition as part of its annual art program. With sculptures ranging from 8 to 30 feet high, Lichtenstein at Fairchild will mark the largest sculptural exhibition of Lichtenstein's pieces in a naturalistic setting. Sculptures will be on display daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through May 31, 2008. Beginning December 13 Fairchild will remain open for Poppin' Tropical Nights on Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. Day admission is $20 adults, $15 seniors 65+, $10 children 6-17, and free for Fairchild members and children 5 and under. Night Admission is $20 Fairchild members, $15 member children 6-17; $30 non-members, $20 non-member children 6-17, and free for children 5 and under.

December 20 – 31

Finding inspiration from the art of Andy Warhol, images from old movies, 1960’s icons and pin-up models, the French artist MOZ paints flawlessly beautiful people. Using wit and humor, his figures are juxtaposed with typography from instructional booklets and warning messages. Alexandre G. Zakharov’s work is guided by an innate passion to create paintings and sculptures in an engaging almost primitive style. See the distinctive and exciting work of these contemporary artists through December 31. Opera Gallery is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.