The end of the year brings about competing degustations of art, music, and books. And so let mine be added to the compendium.

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The DeKalb stop on the L train is getting more and more spotlight thanks to galleries such as Norte Maar, which curate independently minded artists. Tonight they’re having an opening, BUILT: Opening/Holiday Party. It’s free and it starts at 6.

Among the headliners are Anthony Browne, who has created a nine foot badly built cube. Drawing from and reacting to the tradition of Sol LeWitt’s perfect cubes, Mr. Browne finds wood around his studio and crafts it to make structures that are entirely his own, unique and unreproducible — even to move the cube would require its demolition and reconstruction in an entirely different manner and context. Themes such as time, method, construction and entropy lie at the heart of this work. The resulting sculpture encourages the viewer to walk through and around the cube, and encourages her to imagine how it was created, and possibly, how she would design a similar piece.

The other artists in the show include Tyler Considine, Eric Wolfgang Eisenhut and Letha Wilson, all of them concerned with process and material in order to create a finalized, polished product.

There may be a lot of parties in Bushwick tonight, especially around the DeKalb stop; even if you don’t have much time, make sure to visit Norte Maar.

If the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center whet your appetite for Christmas light displays, don’t worry there are other free events in NYC that will truly satisfy the urge.  My favorite out of all the Christmas light themed free events in NYC is Brooklyn’s Dyker Lights Festival.

Each year 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue and from 83rd to 86th Street in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn transforms into a winter wonderland of lights. Each house is trying to outdo the neighbors with massive displays of lights, music, and holiday décor. It is amazing to see what people come up with every year, and is sure to give you some ideas if you haven’t put up your holiday decorations yet.

You can experience Dyker Lights by car or by foot. If you go by foot just remember that it involves a lot of walking in the cold, so bundle up. The lights go on at around 5 and are usually off by 9. There is no official start date but by mid-December all the lights are up.

So if you are having trouble getting into a festive mood take a walk or drive through Dyker Heights. It is sure to kindle your holiday spirit.

I’ve got a class tonight in Park Slope I need to finish some homework for. With all of central Brooklyn at my fingertips on this cool December night, where would be the best place to eat unforgettable, really cheap grub and break out my computer for an hour?

My options, considering I don’t want to spend more than $6:

Ba Xuyen: This place has the best Vietnamese sandwiches in the New York City, made even better by the iced coffees. I’ve been before a few times and I’m always in hog heaven. Total price of sandwich and coffee: $5.50.

Bake & Things: I hear the Trini “Doubles,” a couple of chickpea sandwiches covered in hot sauce and sitting in delicious bread, are to die for and they’re only five bucks, but there’s no indoor seating, so I’ll have to save this place for another time, when I’m in a rush.

Yun Nan Flavour Snack Shop: Ba Xuyen is perfect for when it’s warm out, and although it’s not cold, it could be nice to get some soup at a place I’ve never tried. The hot and sour soup here is supposed to be killer and there are pork dumplings too. But from reading the reviews on yelp, it seems this isn’t the healthiest choice (I don’t really want to taste the MSG). Ba Xuyen it is!