‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’
6 p.m. Thursday. Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square Park, free. portlandmuseum.org
Have yourself a very Muppet Christmas by grabbing all the young and young-at-heart people you know to see a free screening of the 1992 gem “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” Michael Caine starts as Ebenezer Scrooge, and the world’s favorite frog, Kermit, plays Bob Cratchit. You’ll see plenty of other familiar Muppet faces like Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Sam the Eagle. The film’s many delightful musical numbers include “One More Sleep ’til Christmas” and “Scrooge.”

Winter Solstice Walk
1 p.m. Friday. Highland Research Forest, Commons Drive, Bridgton, free. mainelakes.org/event/winter-solstice-walk
Welcome the first day of winter with a walk along trails in the Highland Research Forest. You’ll do some tracking and hear from a guide about what animals are active in wintertime. You’ll also learn about plants that stay green all year. Warm up with hot cider, but make sure first to preregister for the event.

Mickey’s Search Party
6 p.m. Thursday, noon and 4 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m., 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday. Cross Insurance Arena, 1 Civic Center Square, Portland, $15 to $135. crossarenaportland.com
Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends of kids, this one’s an easy sell. Mickey’s Search Party is the latest Disney On Ice show, and while the plot hardly matters, this one will have Captain Hook following a treasure map in a quest to find Tinker Bell. Stars from several Disney and Pixar films will be whizzing across the ice as wonder fills the eyes of everyone in the stands. Elsa and Moana will be there, as will the Little Mermaid, Belle and several other timeless, enchanting characters.

An Improvised Holiday Special
7 p.m. Friday. Hill Arts, 76 Congress St., Portland, $15 in advance, $20 day of show, 18-plus. thehillarts.me
Capital City Improv presents an evening of comedy inspired by Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. The amount of tongue-in-cheek hilarious drama that could unfold is endless because of the formulaic nature of most Hallmark films. Character returns to hometown and sparks are reignited with an old flame, anyone? Or how about a school Christmas pageant gone awry? Shenanigans and laughs galore await you, just days before you embark on your own holiday adventure.