Strolling the galleries on First Friday in December, there's a hint of anxiety in the air, that feeling that any free moment should be spent doing something to prepare for the holidays. What follows is a sampling of holiday exhibitions and sales this month—some old favorites, some relatively new kids on the block, but all should help you shop for that one friend you can't in good conscience wrap up a Yankee Candle for. (For more ideas, visit InLiquid's Holiday Guide, www.inliquid.com.)

It's been six years and Shelley Spector and her crew still don't know that they're letting the buying public get away with a steal. Every year, kick-ass artists like Thom Lessner and Whitney Lee bring in their latest creations, and every year, Spector innocently hangs them on the wall or puts them on a pedestal and announces the annual weekend-long Red Dot sale, where nothing costs more than $100. And every year, we saunter in, eat some cheese cubes, act like we're hemming and hawing over this or that Zoe Strauss shot while we're actually wanting to knock our fellow shoppers to the ground and grab as much as we can, Supermarket Sweep-style, before the 72 hours are up. And the best part? Every year, we hear of one more of Spector's little elves making it into the halls of giants like PAFA or the PMA or MoMA. This time, besides the aforementioned, the artists include: Hiro Sakaguchi, Caitlin Perkins, Rain Harris, Isaac Lin and more. Don't forget: it's cash and carry—and let's not help them catch on, shall we? Fri., Dec. 16, 6-10 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 17, 12-5 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 18, 12-5 p.m., 510 Bainbridge St., 215-238-0840.

Last year, a group of local artists made charm bracelets and offered them for sale in a benefit for St. Mary's Respite Center in Mantua. The simple idea raised more than $10,000 for the center, which offers programs for families affected by HIV and AIDS. This year, curators Eileen Tognini and Leslie Matthews asked more than 100 artists and designers to create sculptural or wearable vests and donate them to this year's show, called "InVest." Each "vest"—and artists were free to interpret that however they liked, using whatever materials they liked—will be sold for $200, with all proceeds going to St. Mary's. Held once again at Bahdeebahdu, the exhibition and sale runs two days, the first of which has a $20 door charge that includes light refreshments and music. Thu., Dec. 1, 6 p.m., $20, Bahdeebahdu, 309 Cherry St., 215-627-5002.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts holds its Annual Student Print Sale this Friday, while The Clay Studio, The Print Center and The Wood Turning Center also hold holiday sales this month. One of the coolest, though, is Traveling Wares, where artists bring their works—handbound books, clothing, jewelry, ornaments and more—to a different bar or restaurant every weekend in December so we can drink and shop at the same time. Here's the schedule this year: The Royal Tavern (Dec. 3, 12-6 p.m.), The Abbaye (Dec. 4, 12-6 p.m.) Sugar Mom's (Dec. 10, 1-6 p.m.), Dirty Frank's (Dec. 11, 2-7 p.m.), 700 Club (Dec. 17, 4-9 p.m.), Tattooed Mom's (Dec. 18, 1-6 p.m.).

Finally, if you don't feel like shopping, but are still in the holiday spirit, the Fabric Workshop and Museum's annual holiday party is always a treat, and this year, it coincides with the opening of "Swarm," an exhibition about the way everything from bees to birds to people congregate and socialize, and the scientific and behavioral theories that have emerged around the phenomenon. Those theorists could have a field day at FWM watching the partygoers mingle with the art crowd, but the real focus is on the work, which includes that of Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Sarah Sze, Mark Bradford, Matthew Ritchie and Siebren Versteeg. Opening reception Fri., Dec. 2, 5:30-9 p.m., exhibit through March 18, 1315 Cherry St., fifth floor, 215-568-1111.

Perhaps you are a heartless, self-involved sort who feels none of this holiday pressure and is perfectly content with looking at art for art's sake. Continuing through the end of the month is the show I'd nominate for the best exhibition title of the year, "The Faux Show" at Esther M. Klein Art Gallery. Here, it's all about the fake, the phony, the pretend. More than 20 artists muse about staged photo-ops, artificial sweeteners, soy burgers, boy bands—if it's not the real thing, they've made art about it. Whether it's shotguns or a raccoon pelt mounted on the wall, at least you'll know it's just an illusion. Ah, nothing like fraudulence for the holidays. Through Dec. 30, 3600 Market St., 215-966-6188.