Though the bitter New England wind is upon us, the holiday calendar is just warming up. This week’s schedule features a fire-and-ice Hanukkah celebration in Watertown, readings of two soon-to-debut theatrical works, and offbeat holiday film screenings at a dive bar. However you choose to get ready for the festivities, here are some no-cost and discounted events across Greater Boston and beyond for the week of Dec. 15-21.

A HOT AND COLD HANUKKAH Chabad Watertown’s Hanukkah celebration kicks off at 4:45 p.m., live performances featuring fire breathing, flaming prop juggling, and other heated tricks. Then, at 5 p.m., Chabad’s 7-foot-tall ice menorah will be lit, followed by a gelt drop, when chocolate coins will be parachuted from above for attendees to catch. Crafts and games will be set up around the venue, and free hot chocolate and doughnuts will be offered while supplies last. Dec. 15, 4-6 p.m. RSVP recommended. Arsenal Yards, 130 Arsenal St., Watertown. arsenalyards.com

HOLIDAY HORRORS There’s nothing like the gritty texture of VHS that elevates a scary movie: WickedVHS, a series of free public screenings of VHS movies at bars, screens a double feature of two creepy Christmas movies at the Model Café on Monday. Film names won’t be revealed until you’re at the event, but a few clues have been offered. The first pick is a childhood horror staple, featuring cutesy monsters who turn evil once you feed them at night; the other is a folkloric fable about Santa’s evil twin. Dec. 15. 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. 21+. Model Café, 7 North Beacon St., Allston. instagram.com/wickedvhs

GONE CAROLING Caroling isn’t just an activity from the days of old: The New School of Music hosts a drop-in session for curious carolers to practice for the doorways. The session is led by NSM instructor Joe Reid, who will teach attendees a wide variety of Christmas, Hanukkah, and general winter tunes, demonstrate different ways to harmonize, and provide live piano accompaniment. Hot cider will be provided to soothe your throat, and free Christmas cookies can keep spirits high. Dec. 16, 6:30-8 p.m. New School of Music Concert Room, 25 Lowell St., Cambridge. newschoolofmusic.org

NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN THEATER The Huntington Theatre’s Winter New Play Intensive, a development program for new plays, will present its two projects this season for the first time. “Blue Train,” which has its live reading on Tuesday, is a familial drama about a son who hopes to inherit his ailing father’s beach retreat. Wednesday, it’s “Three Bears,” a sci-fi epic about two wandering spacemen attempting to reach a distant outpost before they run out of the necessary resources for their journey. Dec. 16 and 17, 7 p.m. The Maso Studio in the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. huntingtontheatre.org

CELEBRATORY CRAFTS Before the holidays are upon us, visit Assembly Row for some casual activities. Attendees can take part in various family-friendly crafts celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah, including ornament-crafting, snowflake-making, and drawing, and indulge in some free hot chocolate while supplies last. The J.P. Licks deck also turns into a dancefloor with tunes from DJ Axelrod, who will play house beats to keep the crowd moving and grooving. Dec. 20, 1-3 p.m. J.P. Licks Deck at Assembly Row, 355 Artisan Way, Somerville. assemblyrow.com

MENORAH AT THE MUSEUM The MFA’s Hanukkah celebration, which features discounted entry for the museum’s $5 Third Thursdays event. This month features activities and exhibitions celebrating Jewish traditions beginning at 5 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., catch a performance from the Global Yiddish Orchestra, or, at 5:45 p.m., a performance from AJ Rubin that blends Jewish folk music and clowning. Among the many festivities are tours and live readings celebrating Jewish history, an interactive scavenger hunt to gather candles for a menorah, a drop-in dreidel-decorating workshop, and a face-painting booth. Dec. 18, 5-10 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. mfa.org

PET PORTRAITS Furry friends can get in on the festive fun at the Paws and Claus event hosted by Bond Vet, a veterinary clinic with several locations in Greater Boston. Pets will get their photos taken for free alongside a (human) Santa Claus, for a professional-looking portrait their owners can put on kitschy greeting cards. Dogs and cats can snag a free treat, and humans get hot chocolate for tagging along. Dec. 20, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Bond Vet, 320 Foley St., Somerville. bringfido.com

Check individual event websites for the most up-to-date information.

Send info on free events and special offers at least 10 days in advance to ryan.yau@globe.com.

Ryan Yau can be reached at ryan.yau@globe.com.

The Detroit Lions (8-6) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) will square off in a Week 16 interdivisional battle between two teams with NFL playoff aspirations. While we know the outcome of the Lions’ Week 15 game, the Steelers have yet to play—they take on the Miami Dolphins on “Monday Night Football”—but that won’t prevent the sports betting sites from taking a look ahead to Week 16.

The Steelers currently sit atop the AFC North, but that is more an indictment of how much of a mess the division has been in 2025, rather than praise for Pittsburgh. After starting the season with a 3-1 record, they’ve gone 4-5 since and have not recorded back-to-back wins—something they’ll be hoping to accomplish on Monday night.

While the Steelers are in a prime position to make the playoffs and potentially host a playoff game, Pittsburgh fans and analysts are frustrated with the team’s performance and have spent most of the season hoping for change.

Steelers fans have squarely pointed their fingers at the Pittsburgh coaching staff as the root of the team’s problems, blaming coach Mike Tomlin for his decisions in staffing, offseason player acquisition, and lack of change/adaptability in their scheme. While Steelers fans have started “Fire Tomlin” chants during games, no coach has come under more fire than defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

“The defensive scheme is ass. The DC needs to get the (expletive) up out of there. Teryl Austin. He was the DB coach when I was there. I didn’t think he was that great then, you know what I’m saying? Now he’s the DC. It’s an opportunistic defense. … They’ve been running the same (expletive) every year with no adjustment.”

On offense, despite the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, they’ve struggled to stay on the field and create consistent drives. While his passer rating of 96.2 is decent, the rest of his statistics are mediocre, as he has become more of a checkdown artist in his later years. Rodgers has thrown the ball beyond 10 yards on only 22.7% of his passing attempts, is averaging 5.8 air yards per attempt, and just 3.3 air yards per completion; all three stats are the lowest in the NFL. He’s coming off a 284-yard passing performance against the Ravens (his highest total on the season), but it’s also the first time in a month he’s thrown for more than 161 yards in a game.

Despite the inconsistency and underachieving play, the Steelers remain in contention for the postseason, making them a dangerous opponent for a Lions team that likely needs to win their remaining three games.

An unvaccinated child in Connecticut has been diagnosed with measles, public health officials confirmed, the state’s first confirmed case of the highly contagious disease since 2021.

The child, who is under the age of 10, lives in Fairfield County, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced last week. The child had recently travelled internationally before showing symptoms including cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and eventually a full-body rash.

“The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” Connecticut DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said in a statement. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective, while two doses are about 97 percent effective.”

The United States has seen a record high 1,912 measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, the CDC reported. As of July 7, this year has also reported the most cases in more than 30 years, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.

Earlier this year, West Texas saw a measles outbreak of hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated children who had to be hospitalized. About one in five unvaccinated people diagnosed with measles are hospitalized, Connecticut DPH said, and the disease can be especially dangerous for children.

“We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and other vulnerable people – from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination,” Juthani said.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his overhaul on the childhood vaccine schedule and doubts on COVID vaccine safety, endorsed the measles vaccine after two children died from measles amid the outbreak in Texas.

“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy said in April. 

Earlier this year, a Vermont child who had recently traveled internationally was confirmed to have been infected with measles. In March, a man tested positive for measles after traveling on an Amtrak train originating from Boston’s South Station to Washington D.C.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.