Here’s an early Christmas present—places to get your Greek on, revisit a holiday film favourite, load up on sinfully delicious (and stupidly expensive) Dungeness crab, and get creative with your cannabis-infused cooking. Added bonus: if you’re not already following @oliviatied on Instagram, you will be by the end of the Farm & Florist item. You’re welcome. And happy holidays.

Greek by Anatoli expands

Already a fixture in Gastown, Yaletown, and North Van, the Greek by Anatoli has expanded to Mount Pleasant with a location at 382 West Broadway. Long-time fans of the restaurant’s other locations can expect the same family-secret recipes—along with modern twists—served seven days a week, with hours of operation including both lunch and dinner. In addition to Mediterranean staples like souvlaki, moussaka, and dolmathes, menu items will include lesser-known offerings like keftedes and crazily addictive avgolemono soup. And let's not forget Greek by Anatoli’s signature Iani’s Prawns. The burgeoning chain’s first location opened on Lonsdale Avenue in 1984, with the family expanding to Yaletown in 2016 and Gastown two years later. (More info: thegreekbyanatoli.com)

Hollywood doubles down on Christmas classics

Holiday classics meet a Vancouver classic at the Hollywood Theatre this coming week, as this year’s Christmas countdown continues. For what’s being billed as a Dinner and a Movie Holiday Marathon, Kitsilano’s favourite art deco landmark will screen Home Alone on December 19, Elf on December 20, and Die Hard on December 21. (Before we go any further, yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie, although we will concede that the idea of a North American company holding its seasonal let’s-get-ploughed wing-ding on December 24 is flamingly idiotic. Compensating for that plot point? Easy: “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker”). Providing the food for Dinner and a Movie Holiday Marathon will be Nuba, which has been voted best Lebanese restaurant in the city numerous times by Georgia Straight readers. Hello, Nuba’s chicken shish tawook, fattoush salad, and wildly-loved Najib’s Special crispy cauliflower! Prices start at $10 for a single movie ticket with the grilled mezze package for two running $95. Sorry, there’s no pasta with Pop-Tarts, mini marshmallows, and Hilltop Amber Maple Syrup syrup—although Nuba could probably work some magic there, too. (More info: hollywoodtheatre.ca)

Potluck Hawker gets crabby

You know that Burl Ives’ Christmas song from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, where he sings, “Silver and gold, silver and gold/Everyone wishes for silver and gold”? There’s one thing better than that: crab. Which, in BC, has somehow become every bit as expensive as, well, silver and gold, unless, that is, you’re willing to shop around. We’re not revealing our special budget spots here for live crab, but we can tip you towards the return of Potluck Hawker Eatery’s Crabmas Bundle. In addition to a whole chicken-fried BC Dungeness crab, each package features crispy chicken wings, mee-goreng egg noodles, braised chili-sauce eggplant, and nasi goren jasmine rice with Chinese sausage. The Crabmas Bundle is available every Friday and Saturday in December, will run you $188 plus tip, and feeds four to six people. (More info: potluckyvr.ca)

Farm & Florist better than baking

For some of us—aka anyone with a family that puts the funk in dysfunctional—there’s one major goal to the holiday season: getting through it by any means possible, even if that means doubling the Sailor Jerry in every glass of eggnog, or waking and baking with an Etsy bong shaped like Frosty the Snowman. And, for the those for whom December is for catching up with friends—or even better, reminding your parents, siblings, and various dispersed relatives that you love them—everything goes better with a little THC. Vancouver’s Farm & Florist helps you embrace your inner chef or top-flight barista with a new line of infusions founded by a couple of friends with deep roots in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Working out of their West Coast test kitchen, the two have come up with cannabis-infused array of products (and recipes) that include truffle oil, truffle hot sauce, garlic chili oil, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic chili oil. As part of a limited-edition Mistlestoned Holiday Collection, two Farm & Florist non-dairy creamers (one mocha, one hazelnut) will help give your Death Wish Coffee an extra kick. Dose your eggs with the hot sauce, and suddenly the holidays are more fun than dinner with Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, and an uber-baked Olivia Tiedemann—especially when she’s giving the camera the finger on Instagram. (More info: farmandflorist.com)