Stages come alive with the 
sounds and visions of the season
'The Nutcracker" 
or "A Christmas Carol"? I generally side with anything that casts Jiminy Cricket as the Ghost of Christmas Past.Whatever your preference this holiday season " be it "The Nutcracker," "The Urban Nutcracker" or "The Slutcracker" " Boston-area holiday productions range from classic to the creative to the campy.Here's a list of our favorites that we've checked twice.