Christmas. It's pretty good, isn't it? Wide-eyed children, galloping reindeer, sparkling tinsel, barbecues, goodwill to everyone. Thumbs up! On board!

So every year, we get together and sing the praises of the season in a venerable Melbourne hall - and that's where we've always gotten it wrong.

Go back and look at the original story. Four walls and a roof? Christmas doesn't have a plaster ceiling on it. It takes place outside, in a humble stable. Simple. Modest. A lean-to, perhaps. Some kind of tent. A beautiful century-old Belgian canvas pavilion with wooden floors and stained glass and mirrors and a licensed bar. Y'know. Slumming it.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Melba Spiegeltent, the legendary palace of festivity and frivolity adjoining Circus Oz /Melbourne Polytechnic / Collingwood TAFE / Collingwood Tech (depending on your era)! And welcome to A Swingin' Bella Christmas - a finger-snappin', toe-tappin' romp through traditional carols, modern favourites and specially-written original songs of the season, executed with airy panache by a horn-laden bevy of brilliant performers known throughout the civilised world as The Bella All-Stars!

Out front, MCs Casey Bennetto and Geraldine Quinn will be joined by special guests - past years have seen guestage (and co-hostage) from the likes of Virginia Gay, Tripod, Sarah Carroll, Eddie Perfect, Tim Rogers, Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier, Mike McLeish, Angie Hart, Ali McGregor, Alan Brough, Mikelangelo, Paul Kelly, Rebecca Barnard and many more.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW, and have yourself A Swingin' Bella Christmas!