Reindeer Games

SAT 12/25
This year, sports TV offers an assortment of less-than-family-friendly Christmas grudge matches. The NBA decks the brawls with the Detroit Pistons vs. the Indiana Pacers, whose last meeting generated a melee that spilled into the stands, and the Los Angeles Lakers matchup against the Miami Heat pits the league’s most famous philanderer against a former teammate accused of covering up similar sexual improprieties. Not to be outdone, the NFL counters with the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Oakland Raiders, two rabid rivals bracing for seemingly inevitable fisticuffs. (The teams’ sorry records have done little to brighten their players’ prickly dispositions.) On Christmas Day 23 years ago, the Chiefs lost in double overtime to the Dolphins in a playoff pairing often touted as one of pro football’s best-ever games. The combination of sudden-death overtime rules and the Chiefs’ play-dead defense precludes a repeat, but the surging offense should deliver high-scoring excitement. The coin-flip loser kicks off at 4 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium, One Arrowhead Drive; for tickets, call 816-931-3330. — Andrew Miller

Rock the Coat

ONGOING
During the 1920s in Lawrence, a brown stallion, supposedly exhausted after decades of service to the cause of defending abolitionists, rode to the stable in the sky. Rather than let the lovely beast’s carcass go to waste, its owner skinned it and made a warm winter jacket. The coat, along with other perfectly preserved winter clothing, is now on display as part of 150 Years of Winter Outerwear at the Watkins Community Museum of History (1047 Massachusetts, 785-841-4109). Through January 15, hats, coats, scarves and muffs from every era are on display at the exhibit — even a horrific pleated pleather jacket, circa 1990. Apart from that valiant attempt at artificially replicating animal products, though, most of the pieces were made before it became taboo to wear fur in public. “I haven’t heard anything from the animal-rights activists yet,” says exhibit coordinator Helen Krische, laughing. “I think this predates that.” — Julia Westhoff

Roman Holiday
TUE 12/28

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the aspiring Neapolitans of the Il Circolo Italiano language club don their skates at the Crown Center Ice Terrace (2450 Grand) for an evening they’re calling “Andiamo Patinare.” Our Chianti-soaked translator, Guido, claims this expression means hapless romantic Midwesterners colliding with each other and busting their asses in the depths of winter, finding love and heartache. Before you hit the ice, Guido recommends memorizing some key phrases: muovere! (watch out!), uh! (ouch!) and venni soffio pecora! (come to me, my sweet sheep’s bladder!). No more vino for Guido. Call 816-523-8823. — Jason Harper