Highgate Choral Society – on Saturday at St Michael s Church, Highgate, at 7.30pm. For a traditional choral programme with singalong carols, you probably can t beat the society s concert in one of north London s more attractive churches. To book tickets,

Highgate Choral Society - on Saturday at St Michael's Church, Highgate, at 7.30pm. For a traditional choral programme with singalong carols, you probably can't beat the society's concert in one of north London's more attractive churches. To book tickets, call

07952 508 234.

FINCHLEY CHORAL SOCIETY - on Saturday December 20 at the Free Church, Hampstead Garden Suburb, at 7.30pm. The society's joint carol concert with Finchley Children's Music Group at the not so atmospheric Free Church. To book tickets, call

020-8449 8135.

MUSIQUE CORDIALE CHRISTMAS CONCERT - on Friday December 19 at St John's Church, Downshire Hill, at 7.30pm. This is my chief recommendation at the exquisitely pretty St John's. Musique Cordiale is a festival in the south of France, between Nice and Aix-en-Provence. It is run by West Hampstead musician Pippa Pawlik along the sort of lines where everyone mucks in - singing, cooking, setting up the music stands whatever - and there's not too much of a distinction between audience and performers. As most of her artists are up-and-coming young musicians from London, she's pulled some of them together for this festive event, led by the opera tenor Andrew Staples. It's a programme that mixes English jollity with French chic, based around Poulenc's Christmas Motets, some seasonal opera extracts and carols. Plus mince pies and mulled wine. To book tickets, call 020-7794 0494.

NOEL AT NOEL - from Tuesday at the New End Theatre, Hampstead. THE LITTLE PRINCE - from today at Hampstead Theatre, Swiss Cottage. If you can't face another Christmas carol, these are two secular alternatives to try.

Noel At Noel is a festive cabaret entertainment based around the songs, sniping and sheer mischief of Noel Coward - whose birthday happens to have been on December 16, hence his name. Until January 25. To book tickets, call 0870 033 2733.

The Little Prince offers something more innocent and more spiritual. It's a new, musical adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's poignant fable. Suitable, apparently, for children of all ages - which means you can expect to see grown men weeping into handkerchiefs. It runs until January 10. To book tickets, call 020-7722 9301.