It's that time of year again: Time for the Charles Phoenix Retro Holiday Slide Show! It's not just a Christmas show. “I cover most of the holidays,” Phoenix says. “I do New Year's, I do Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving.” Yes, Virginia, Christmas is there, too. For the uninitiated, the show consists of Phoenix showing vintage slides he's collected over the years, usually from thrift stores and estate sales, as well as gifts from his fans. The slides depict Americans celebrating these occasions in sometimes odd and unexpected ways, and, he says, “No show I do is ever the same twice.” In addition to the uniqueness of the imagery, the fun is in Phoenix's ebullient, head-over-heels delight in sharing what he's found. And pics of Hanukkah? He just hasn't found the right slide. “I don't mock. There's a very fine line between laughing at and laughing with,” says Phoenix, who is steadfast in keeping his presentations entertaining but inoffensive. “There's a certain layer of innocence” with the slides he selects. “There's a layer of frosting over the cake of reality.” So it's just gotta be a matter of time before Phoenix comes across the appropriate Hanukkah slides. And they're out there somewhere. Trust us, Charles; they're out there.

Sun., Dec. 12, 3 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 18, 8 p.m., 2010

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.