Welcome to "Five Things You Need to Know for the Weekend," a Dunwoody Patch column that sifts through the long list of events competing for your time to offer our pick of five things worth doing with your time off.

Please email peter.cox@patch.com with any tips for this weekly feature, we'll try to get your events and announcements on our page and, hopefully, into this column.

1. Finish your Christmas shopping. If you aren't finished yet with picking out gifts for friends and family, get to it. This weekend is the beginning of the home stretch.

Expect big crowds, long lines and a parking lot full of cars.

Hours at Perimeter Mall will be expanded through Thursday. The mall will be open until 10 p.m. tonight, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.  For more on the mall hours through the week, head here.

If you'd rather avoid it all and shop at a keyboard, the deadlines for getting shipments to people before Christmas are approaching quickly. Amazon.com's free shipping deadline is Sunday and standard shipping deadline is Monday.

2. Another place to grab a Christmas gift is at The Spruill Gallery, which will be hosting a Jewelry Trunk Show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The show will feature 12 jewelry artists who have work in the gallery's holiday show. For photos of some of the work, head here.

3. In the mood for a Christmas festival? Head to the fourth annual First Family Christmas at the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. Shows are Saturday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. Tickets are $3 and can be purchased online at the event website.

The event will feature musical guests The specks, Daniel Crews, comedian Taylor Mason and sand artist Joe Castillo. For more information call 770-234-8333.

4. The Dunwoody High School Lady Wildcats basketball team will head to take part in the 1^st Annual Longhorn Shootout at Kell High School. The girls take on St. Pius X at 3 p.m., the fourth game of the first day. The tournament runs Dec. 18, 20 and 21 at Kell, 4770 Lee Waters Rd., Marietta.

It is $7 for a one-day ticket and $15 for a three-day pass.

5. Check out live music at D'Vine Wine Bar & Shop.

The wine bar has live music every weekend from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tonight, Atlanta's LB Collective, a group that plays original music that has elements of pop, soul and country, will play. Saturday, acoustic duo Tortoise & Hair will perform a mix of original songs and covers.