Forty years ago, J. Ernest Green decided the Annapolis Chorale should sing “Messiah” for the holiday.

Not a surprise. George Frederic Handel’s oratorio telling the biblical story of Jesus Christ’s life, death, resurrection and glorification is a classic of the Christmas season.

In Annapolis, though, it was sacred text for an additional reason.

The Naval Academy Choir, an ensemble that performs for presidents and potentates, has been singing “Messiah” at its ornate chapel since World War II.

“It’s a sea of midshipmen ... in the Naval Academy Chapel,” Green said Monday. “I mean, how can you go wrong, right?

“We started sort of thinking about, ‘OK, wait a minute, there’s another way to approach this piece.’”

This weekend, the chorale, now part of Live Arts Maryland, will perform the historic piece twice at St. Anne’s Church in Annapolis, its home for the last 25 years or so.

The performance will continue the idea that a young doctoral student at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore had for his first holiday performance leading the group on Dec. 6, 1985, at Severna Park High School.

“We’ll take advantage of Handel’s constantly evolving landscape and sort of play with it,” Green said. “There are 54 numbered pieces in the work, and an additional 20 options for different settings of text. We take full advantage of that and play with it each year.”

So Annapolis has two Messiahs, both choirs singing words taken directly from the Old and New Testaments in side-by-side comparisons. Each year, the midshipmen sing in early December, the Annapolis choir a few weeks later at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church.

The 200- to 300-member audiences at the church can be as close as 75 feet from the music, and the acoustics of the 19th-century church are renowned.

“There is no other place in town, in my opinion, that has acoustics that are as good as St Anne’s,” Green said.

This year, soprano Amy Cofield, mezzo soprano Katherine Leemhuis, tenor Joseph Regan and bass-baritone David Murray​ will join the 60-person choir and the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Coming off its sold-out Christmas Celebration, the group relaxes and enjoys the performance as much as the audience. The result, Green said, is always unexpected.

“Aside from the fact that the music is just good, it’s just when you come together to sing that music in a space like St. Anne’s, something magical happens,” Green said.

Admission is $50 to the 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday performances, with discounts for seniors, students and active-duty military personnel.

Here are some other great things to do in the week through Christmas Eve.

Spooky Christmas

7 p.m. Thursday

Two book clubs, What the Fox and Old Fox Bibliophiles, will hold a reading of “The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas” at Old Fox Books and Coffeehouse during the final run this year of Midnight Madness.

The book by Syd Moore is described as a mix of spooky, quirky and delightful stories.

Free.

Shopping outside

Thursday-Sunday

The Annapolis Holiday Market sets up on the front lawn of St. John’s College for four days of shopping, food and entertainment.

This year’s market features about 100 local and regional artists and crafters selling jewelry, pottery, glass art and home decor. Food includes bratwursts, crab soup, pretzels, pickles, cheeses and sweet treats.

The market is open 4-10 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is free.

Live holiday

6:30 p.m. Friday

Every year, Heritage Baptist Church puts out a call for actors willing to stand very still for 90 minutes in December.

Oh, and you have to be willing to work with animals.

The church’s live Nativity Scene is a life-sized storybook, staged with live animals and costumed actors. Free.

Music for the holiday

7:30 p.m. Friday

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra performs its Holiday Pops concert at Maryland Hall with the Bowie State University Choir.

The show includes “Prelude from Hansel and Gretel,” “The Parade of the Tin Soldiers,” “A Christmas Fanfare,” A Holly and Jolly Sing-Along and other favorites.

It’s one of three performances of the show, with repeats at 3 p.m. Saturday at Severna Park High School and 3 p.m. Sunday at Bowie State.

Tickets are $85 to $135. Many seats are already sold out.

Run Run Rudolph

7:30 a.m. Saturday

The Run Naptown Running Festival features half-marathon, 10K and 5K races.

The runs start at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, and holiday costumes are encouraged.

Entry fees are $50-$120, plus taxes and fees. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Anne Arundel Trails.

Bayside carols

10 a.m. Wednesday

There’s a lot to do on Christmas Eve. Wrapping, shopping, working and midnight services.

Take a break and head to Oscar’s Coffee for a performance of carols by the Eastport United Methodist Church. There will be cocoa, coffee and roasted marshmallows.

Pets are welcome, and the music is free.