This week, Christmas music gets big. Or rather, BIG, because of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's annual Triangle visitation, which will bring the usual sturm und drang to Raleigh's RBC Center on Thursday. Really, though, Christmas is supposed to be about local traditions close to home. We've got plenty of that coming over the next 11 days.

For instance, there's Mike Cross, the self-described "wandering hillbilly hippie folk singer" from Chapel Hill. This weekend, Cross will wander on over to the Holly Springs Cultural Center to perform two shows titled "Christmas in Carolina," Saturday and Sunday.

In a truly wonderful quirk, local bluegrass band Chatham County Line is enormously popular over in the land of the ice and snow, Norway (where the group earned a gold record this year). But you only have to go as far as Raleigh's Pour House to see Chatham County Line's third annual Christmas Bash on Wednesday night, which should be a relatively restrained affair.

"We'll bring a tree and put it onstage," says Chatham County Line frontman Dave Wilson. "Last year we had some cool candy-cane lights. We guarantee one Christmas song at least, but no more than three."

If you want more than that, Wednesday night also brings the second Trekky Records Holiday Party to Cat's Cradle. Chapel Hill independent label Trekky started this tradition last year with a whimsical Christmas album and holiday show featuring musicians from its roster and friends. They've followed that up with three new recordings this year (check myspace.com/trekkyrecordschristmas, especially the percussive "Christmas Like No Other").

This year's Trekky show should be the indie-rock event of the season, with an A-list lineup of Portastatic, Annuals, Ivan Howard from Rosebuds, Moaners, Midtown Dickens, I Was Totally Destroying It, Hammer No More the Fingers, Schooner, Robo Sapien and Sweater Weather, plus Billy Sugarfix serving as master of ceremonies. Sugarfix will also play his annual Christmas show with his own band, Evil Wiener, Dec. 21 at The Cave in Chapel Hill, at which he promises to "rock the toe right off the mistle."

Dune Dogs play their Third Annual Holiday Extravaganza Thursday at Raleigh's Hideaway. This show will double as a release party for the Dune Dogs first recording, "Carolina Country."

One of the area's longest-lived holiday traditions will continue Thursday at The Cave, with Jim Watson of the Red Clay Ramblers playing his annual Christmas Show. This will be the 22nd edition.

On Dec. 22, Regina Hexaphone marks its 10th anniversary with a holiday concert at Carrboro ArtsCenter. Regina Hexaphone's Sara Bell promises "at least one Hanukkah song and at least one Christmas war protest song," plus a generally festive atmosphere -- and a rare local opportunity to see twin sisters Dana and Karen Kletter's Dear Enemy, who will open the show.

Terry Anderson's Christmas Birthday Jam will have its seventh edition Dec. 25 at the Pour House. This year's version should be emotional and bittersweet for Anderson, who will mark his 51st birthday -- while remembering his fellow Christmas birthday boy, David Enloe. The former Woods/Fabulous Knobs guitarist died Nov. 27 of liver failure, so this show with Sport Alternative, Monty Warren and Anderson's Olympic Ass-Kicking Team will be an unofficial wake.