We mean Salem the county seat in deepest South Jersey (www.salemcitynj.com), which is having its holiday party Saturday. Festivities start at 11 a.m. with the annual Christmas Parade. At 1 p.m. there’s the annual tour of historic houses, churches and other buildings. (tickets $10, call 856-935-8800). And at 6 p.m. they’ll light the town Christmas tree, with music and a visit from Santa.

The shopping we mean today is waaaay at the other end of the state, in Cresskill, where the upscale women’s specialty store Hamrah’s (201-871-4444) is hosting a shopping fundraiser to benefit Women United in Philanthropy. There will be a tasting of chocolates provided by Xocolat Corner (www.xocolatcorner.com) of Closter and a raffle of gift certificates to Hamrah’s, which earlier this year was chosen by Harper’s Bazaar magazine as “Style Leader.” It’s tonight, so hurry and call (201) 784 1818 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

More shopping? Yes! Stock up on luxury grooming products at Caswell-Massey’s (www.caswellmassey.com) warehouse sale with up to 80 percent off. It runs through Saturday at their Edison warehouse, (732) 225-2181.

The weekend is packed with holiday shows. Starting Sunday and running through Dec. 23, Princeton’s McCarter Theater (www.mccarter.org) stages its  critically acclaimed production of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol. Tickets $31-$42, online or by calling (609) 258-ARTS.

You can enjoy another perennial holiday favorite, It’s a Wonderful Life, at the Surflight Theater (www.surflight.org) in Beach Haven through Dec. 16. Tickets $17-$23, check website for show times or call (609) 492-9477.

Still another classic, Scrooge, is on the stage of the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park in a production by Premiere Theatre Company (www.premieretheatre.com). Evening performances tonight through Sunday and 2 p.m. matinees over the weekend. Tickets $10-$20 at the website or by calling (732) 774-STAR.

And of course there is “The Nutcracker,” in a production by the New Jersey Ballet at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood. Tickets $20-$50, (201) 227-1030 or www.bergenpac.org.  

Now, about that Champagne….what we have this weekend is Master of Wine Chris Cree, owner of  56 Degree Wine (www.56degreewine.com) in Bernardsville, holding a tasting of artisanal, small-grower Champagnes and sparkling wines at the Bernards Inn Sunday 3 to 5 p.m.  Proceeds ($85 per person, call the shop at 908-953-0900) benefit Grapes for Good, the store’s new nonprofit foundation that holds wine events to benefit local charities.