SITE-SPECIFIC PUBLIC ART: Site-specific public art is planned around the UC Davis campus from Dec. 3 through 16 as the culmination of a course titled Where Here Is.

The exhibit comprises five works, each by a different student team at a different site. The works include Ripple Effect, stretching from the Lake Spafford region to the grass circle in front of Mrak Hall and the grass hills near the Silo. The artists are sculpting ripples out of leaves, branches and other natural debris, including grass that is cut from ripples made by a push lawnmower.

Robin Hill, an associate professor of art, said in a news release: "By massaging each site for meaning (social, cultural, aesthetic, historical, phenomenological), these works of art are focused on the transformation of site to place."

A reception is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 3 in the lobby of the Art Building, with the event free and open to the public. A walking tour with the artists is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. that day, or people can take self-guided tours with maps available in the Art Building lobby.

CHRISTMAS AT MONDAVI: The Mondavi Center is celebrating the holidays with two programs:

• A Scottish Christmas -- 8 p.m. Dec. 11, as part of the season's presenting program, and 11 a.m. Dec. 12 as part of the Wells Fargo School Matinee Series. Fiddler Bonnie Rideout is featured, along with a Celtic quintet and dancers.
• Handel's Messiah -- 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 and 4 p.m. Dec. 17. Performed by American Bach Soloists, under the direction of conductor, singer and UC Davis music professor Jeffrey Thomas.

HOLIDAY HOME TOUR: Tickets are on sale for the University Farm Circle's biannual Holiday Home Tour, during which the public is invited to look inside various homes to see how the home-owners decorate with their own Christmas collections and treasures.

The tour is scheduled from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 10, rain or shine.

The tour is the farm circle's main fundraiser, with proceeds going to scholarships and loans for UC Davis women.

This year's event comprises seven homes close to one another in south Davis. Tickets are $20 if purchased by Dec. 10, and $25 the day of the tour. Tickets are available at the Avid Reader, Coldwell Banker Doug Arnold Real Estate, the Chamber of Commerce and Postmark's, all in Davis, and the Next Chapter and the House Dresser in Woodland. For more information, call Sue Smith, (530) 750-7760.