It's not the end of the world, but I'm taking a short holiday over the festive season. This means that you won't receive a newsletter for the next two weeks. But I compiled a few tips for the time between the years and wish you a great start into 2013!
Give my love to the city, Ron

The Zurich electro duo Superterz moves aside from all musical contexts: free improvisations, beats and dissonant sounds clash with each other weaving themselves to a sound carpet that inspires (sometimes) and appears strange (sometimes). Perla hosts the Insomnia-Sessions for five continuous evenings and the Vaid brothers invited various guests to play with them. 
1 evening 20 francs, five evenings 60 francs
From today until Saturday 9.30 pm, Perla-Mode

If the Mayan prophecy is wrong on Friday and the world continues to spin, most of us will be happy knowing the Christmas presents we’ve bought won’t be wasted, but there will be a few of you holed up in bunkers somewhere with a years worth of canned beans, feeling very, very silly indeed. For those bunker types, the International Comedy Club has booked a couple of great stand-ups to cheer you up at Mascotte. Jeff Leach is a great UK comedian who has moved from tv presenting and directing documentaries to stand-up, performing to sold out shows at the Edinburgh Festival last year. Dana Alexander is, according to her biography, the only black, female comedian on the Canadian circuit, this alone should mean she’s a comedian with attitude and the jokes to back it up.
Friday 8 pm, Mascotte

These days, being labelled a singer/songwriter doesn’t have the same confines that it did maybe 20 years ago. Sophie Hunger is a Zurich born singer/songwriter and employs a range of sounds and textures from acoustic guitar to synths, piano to programmed beats all in the service of her contemplative songs. Add to this her strong but yearning voice and the complete package wouldn’t sound out of place next to a Laura Marling or Beth Orton. She plays at Kaufleuten on Saturday and I have 2 x 2 tickets to give away. Email me.
Saturday 8 pm, Kaufleuten

As the year slowly comes to an end, it’s good to know that new beginnings are also on the horizon. Kinski is a new club on Langstrasse that has its first official opening night this Saturday. Although they want to keep details of the club secret, your roving reporter can tell you the place has a cosy, lived-in ambiance, a smoking lounge with bar and they’ll be playing various shades of rock, in all of its slithery disguises and preening pomp. Expect to sweat.  I have 2 x 2 tickets to give away. Email me.
Saturday 8 pm, Kinski

Enjoy French ésprit under the open sky at Xenix. Yes, this is not a summer entry that slipped into my list. Xenix goes all the way for a wintery fairy tale with French film La Première Etoile with blankets, Glühwein and Chilli to keep you warm. If that sounds too frosty to you (or if you think that your French might not be up to scratch) Xenix screen The Fearless Vampire Killers by Roman Polianski indoors after the open air show. This homage to old horror film making will certainly put you in Christmas spirit. And if not, then maybe me playing Santa: I have 3x2 tickets to give away for free. Just send me an email.
Monday 6.30 pm (La Première Etoile) & 9 pm (The Fearless Vampire Killers), Xenix

Christmas is the time of good cheer, good deeds and, of course, good clubbing. For all those who think that they may be done with the good cheer and deeds by the evening of the 25^th, then the annual Legendary Massive Mocca Ursive Xmas Party (their name, not mine!) will be happening at Pfingstweidestrasse 10. They’ll have two floors and multiple djs devoted to the electronic sounds and beats we all need to cleanse our Christmas palates. 
Tuesday 11 pm, Pfingstweidestrasse 10

You'll be eating enough over the holidays anyway, so here a bar tip instead of the usual restaurant recommendation: El Dorado. The bar at Limmatstrasse reopened a few weeks ago with a new concept and a wider beer selection. If you drink all of the 101 brands (not in one night!), you'll receive a bottle opener with your name engraved. To become a crowned El Dorado get your personal beer-chart at the bar - so far there are a few names drinking their way to the top but you could still become Number 1. They also broadened their concert programme, but that seems to be work in progress. Their next listing is for the end of January with Lukas Graham from Denmark. Cheers!
Limmatstrasse 109, 8005 Zurich

Celebrate New Year with friends at home and watch the city's fireworks at the lake at midnight. That's a Zurich classic. If your mind is set on a party - the choice is large. In Zurich, the 1st and 2nd of January are bank holidays, so nothing will stop you from partying all night long. Here’s an overview. Techno: For fans of electronic music Hive with local djs such as Styro2000, Komplex 457 with German dj Fritz Kalbrenner as well as Frieda's Büxe and Supermarket are the places to be. 80s: Nostalgia always feels right around new year, and so does Uto Kulm (top of Zurich).  Reggae: Start into a new week and year with reggae and dancehall at Stall 6. All Styles: You're planning to start the new year open minded? Then head to Härterei, Kaufleuten, Plaza, Moods, Zukunft (who call their style 'temporary') or Mascotte. Last of its kind: Abart is saying goodbye with a large new year’s party - your last chance to go to Abart. And of course, most other clubs will host a party too. Happy new year!

You unwrap your present and your smile freezes. Does that sound familiar? From now on, you can cheer up, because you’ll know that you can change your present for something else in the platform schwap.ch – or donate it to charity. Good luck in finding someone to swap your present for something your heart desires.

Film maker Cale Glendening accompanied photographer Joey L. for his project Holy Men to Varanasi in India. Joey created a beautiful spread of religious men who abstain from all earthen goods. The pictures speak volumes but when watching the documentary (43 min) by Cale, you'll descend completely into the world of these wandering monks.