Treat yourself to a tasteful helping of holiday humor with the wickedly truthful "The Santaland Diaries."  Presented by Capital Stage in Old Sacramento, "Diaries" focuses on the crazy, "insane things" the holiday season tends to bring out in just about everyone - parents and hired elves alike.  "This is an adult take on how adults act around Christmas," said Peter Mohrmann, Capital Stage manager. "We've told every Christmas story over the last few years, we really wanted to show something different." Unlike cheery Christmas classics such as "It's a Wonderful Life," "White Christmas" and "Christmas Carol," "Diaries" has more of a "witty, sardonic and unpredictable" aftertaste, according

Curmudgeons, cripples, and Christmas spirit — what more could you ask for in a traditional holiday play? After listing some of the local plays currently in production in my last article, I couldn't wait to start seeing some of them for myself. B Street Theatre's version of A Christmas Carol looked like the perfect place for me to begin. The audience was packed with children, families, and Dickens readers eager to see Buck Busfield's rendition of the timeless classic. The scene opens on Miss Havisham's establishment, where Charles Dickens comes to find his peace, quiet and inspiration. It's Christmas Eve and he has a day to finish writing his Christmas novel. Amid "humbugs," insults thro