Ah, the holidays. Good cheer, family gatherings, long to-do lists—or, for some, a period so busy there isn’t even time to assemble a to-do list. In the spirit of helping you dance the holiday hustle with efficiency and panache, we proudly present the Second Annual Cal Shakes Checklist for Year-End Tasks.

Things to Do by Dec. 31, 2010

 Make a donation to Cal Shakes. If you itemize charitable gifts on your tax return, you’ll get a deduction for 2010. If you donate $100 or more, you’ll become a Cal Shakes Champion, and will get great benefits during our 2011 season. If you make a donation in honor of someone you care about, we’ll send them a holiday card on your behalf—and you will have given a terrific holiday gift.* Simply click here to donate online; or call Donor Relations Coordinator Ian Larue at 510.548.3422 x107 to donate by phone.

 Buy tickets for Cal Shakes’ 2011 season. Subscribe now, and you can lock in great seats for the entirety of the great season ahead, which will include two Shakespeare plays (Titus Andronicus and The Taming of the Shrew), one Shaw play (Candida), and one new work, with music, inspired by Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. To subscribe online or to purchase FlexPasses—vouchers that can be exchanged for tickets to the performance(s) of your choice—click here. Or to subscribe or purchase by phone, call our Box Office at 510.548.9666.

 Buy a Cal Shakes gift certificate for someone you care about. Certificates are available in any dollar amount. To order, please call our Box Office at 510.548.9666; or to order online, click here, log in, and select the “FlexPass/Gift Cert.” tab at the top of the screen.*

Got all that done? Good! Now relax and enjoy the holidays. We wish you all the best!

*If you’re purchasing a gift certificate or making a donation in honor of someone else, please use the “comments” box to provide your recipient’s name and address and to let us know if you’d like the gift certificate shipped to the intended recipient or to you.

Pictured: John R. Lewis, Danny Scheie, Nick Childress, and Emily Kitchens in Much Ado About Nothing (2010); photo by Jay Yamada.