Celebrations: 13 iconic Sonoma County festivities

Each of Sonoma County’s towns has its own unique way of celebrating the holidays. From lighted riverboats and twilight menorah lightings to posadas, processions and tractor parades, the season kicks off with a bang this weekend. Here’s what is ahead.

HEALDSBURG: Downtown Holiday Party

This Wine Country town kicks off the season in grand style the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28). Horse-drawn carriages take party-goers on rides through downtown Healdsburg, evoking the holiday spirit of the 19th century. When Santa arrives on an antique fire truck, kids shriek with delight.

Local merchants, restaurants and bars get into the act, too. In 2013, Barndiva restaurant roasted chestnuts over an open fire and offered “spirited libations.” Nearby stores gave away hot cider and cookies, while a shop on Matheson Street had a jazz trio perform. There will also be costumed performers, carolers and wine tasting.

Nov. 28, 4-8 p.m., downtown Healdsburg, 707-433-6935, www.healdsburg.com

GEYSERVILLE: Lighted Tractor Parade

It’s a 4-year-old boy’s dream: Huge tractors and trucks rumble down Geyserville Avenue on Nov. 29 . Last year, one truck had a friendly Santa on one side and the menacing green Grinch on the other. Honking fire trucks and big rigs with reindeer horns join the cavalcade of oversized vehicles bedecked with strands of colorful holiday lights.

It’s all part of Geyserville’s annual Lighted Tractor Parade, where Rudolph meets John Deere for an illuminated procession that impresses kids and parents alike. Don’t be surprised to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus pose for photos while the town lights its holiday tree.

Nov. 29, 7 p.m., 707-857-3745, geyservillecc.com

SONOMA VALLEY: Gingerbread House Contest

More than a dozen Sonoma Valley wineries compete each year for the title of best gingerbread house builder. The designs are creative, the details intricate. As wine tasters visit the wineries, they vote on which gingerbread houses they consider the best. Most of the abodes are about the size of a case of wine.

Though the prize for the winner is mostly bragging rights, the lengths to which wineries go to create gorgeous little edible houses is admirable. In 2013, B.R. Cohn created a gingerbread version of its winery building; Gundlach Bundschu baked a replica of what its winery looked like back in the day.

Nov. 29 to Dec. 31, Sonoma Valley wineries, 707-935-0803, sonomavalleywine.com

COTATI: Christmas Tree Lighting

Cotati celebrates the holiday season with three days of events in early December, the centerpiece a Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 5. Friends and families gather in La Plaza Park at about 6 p.m. and Santa arrives soon thereafter.

There will be music from local performers; last year, the Sonoma State University choir enriched the evening with songs. Kids can meet Santa at Cotati’s firehouse or onstage at La Plaza Park.

On Dec. 4, Cotati will have a pub crawl (nonalcoholic beverages available, too) starting at the 8 Ball Tavern (8 Charles St.) then continuing to the Cotati Yacht Club & Saloon (8099 La Plaza) and beyond.

On Dec. 6, the century-old Church of the Oaks (185 Page St.) hosts a candlelight concert; the paths to the church will be brightened by luminaria. ec. 4-6, 707-795-5508, cotati.org

SONOMA: Siren Announces Santa

In Sonoma, Santa stables the reindeer and hops aboard a classic fire truck to arrive at the town plaza on Dec. 5. Then he asks the kids in the crowd to help him light the tree on the balcony of City Hall.

Parents lean in as Santa asks each child what he or she wants for the holidays amid the spectacle of the colorfully lighted plaza. Don’t worry if it’s a chilly night: The local Soroptimists provide steaming cups of hot chocolate.

Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m., Sonoma Plaza, holidaysinsonoma.com

SONOMA: Snowmen Glow

Cornerstone Sonoma’s Lighting of the Snowmen Festival began a decade ago when David Allen, owner of Artefact Design & Salvage, one of the stores at Cornerstone Gardens in Carneros, stumbled upon hundreds of decorative snowmen at a Boston factory that was closing. He bought the snowmen, shipped them to Sonoma and started a tradition of lighting up the army for the holidays.

The glow begins the afternoon of Dec. 7, accompanied by live music, performances by the Sonoma Conservatory of Dance, and holiday films in the Olive Grove Cinema. There’s also face painting by Popo the Clown, grab-bag goodies and gingerbread men to decorate; Mom and Dad can visit the German beer garden.

The festival is free, but 2014 saw 1,700 people turn out, so there is a $5 charge for parking. Once the lot fills, there’s free parking at nearby Jacuzzi Winery, with shuttles to the event.

Dec. 7, 3 p.m., Cornerstone Sonoma, 23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 707-933-3010, cornerstonesonoma.com

WINDSOR: Virgin of Guadalupe

One of the most moving holiday celebrations occurs when few people are awake to witness it. On Dec. 12 each year at midnight, about 1,000 people gather at Santa Rosa’s St. Rose Catholic Church, carrying votive candles, iconic figures, incense and bouquets of flowers to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe.

They walk 9 miles to Windsor’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, many participants saying they trek to show their faith and to express gratitude. Aztec dancers and horseback riders have accompanied recent marches. Upon arrival in Windsor, celebrants typically sing Las Mañanitas, a traditional Mexican birthday song, share hot chocolate, coffee and Mexican pastries, and are joined by others for an early Mass.

PETALUMA: Holiday Lighted Boat Parade

Boats of all sorts make their way along the Petaluma River in this signature holiday event for Petaluma, drawing crowds big crowds. The illuminated flotilla, which includes tall sailing ships with lighted masts, glides into the Turning Basin.

A tradition since 1982, the event attracts hundreds of kids, who shriek and call out to Santa and his elves as they arrive on one of the boats. In addition to the Turning Basins, the parade can be viewed from F and G streets, and at the nearby Foundry Wharf.

Dec. 13, 6 p.m., Petaluma River Turning Basin, 1st and C streets, 877-273-8258, visitpetaluma.com

ROHNERT PARK: “Nutcracker” at Spreckels

Bringing to life visions of sugarplum fairies and lifesize nutcrackers, this dance performance is a holiday classic. Santa Rosa Dance Theater brings “The Nutcracker” to Rohnert Park’s Spreckels Performing Arts Center for two weekends in December.

The latter weekend will feature, for the first time, the Sonoma County Philharmonic performing live. During the first weekend, recorded music accompanies the show.

In an age when so many companies offer modern twists on “The Nutcracker,” Santa Rosa Dance Theater keeps it traditional. “For us, it’s the essence of the holiday season,” said Adele Mitchell, executive director of the dance troupe. “It’s steeped in tradition and beautiful music.”

Dec. 13-14, 20-21, Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park, 707-588-3434, spreckelsonline.com

SANTA ROSA: Hanukkah Celebrations

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with Chabad Jewish Center at several twilight events featuring menorah lightings, latkes (potato pancakes), dreidel spinning, live music and prizes for kids. The highlight is the lighting of a 9-foot-tall menorah.

Chabad’s Rabbi Mendel Wolvovsky will oversee the ceremonies. The largest is at Village Court in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village on Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. The Santa Rosa event will be on the sixth night of the eight-night celebration, so six candles plus the shamash (the candle used to light the other candles), will be lighted.

The celebration will also be held at 5 p.m. at Oakville Grocery in Healdsburg on Dec. 16; Sonoma Whole Foods on Dec. 17; Sebastopol’s Pacific Market on Dec. 18; and Oliver’s Market in Cotati on Dec. 22. 07-577-0277, jewishsonoma.com

SANTA ROSA: Posada Navideña

Brightly colored costumes and traditional Mexican music and dance help Sacramento’s Compañia Mazatlán Bellas Artes portray the pastorela (pilgrimage) made by Joseph and Mary before the birth of Christ. This energetic, lavish production celebrates Christmas and Mexico’s cultural heritage, and is appropriate for all faiths and ages.

The traditional Christmas processional (posada), holiday songs (villancicos), a visit from the Three Wise Men and a festive piñata scene are components of Posada Navideña, a whirlwind tour of Mexico’s cultural regions accompanied by live music.

For families, there is a pre-show arts and crafts program at 6 p.m.; a posada celebration follows the show. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for los niños.

Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa, 707-546-3600, tickets.wellsfargocenterarts.org

SANTA ROSA: Redwood Empire Sing-Along “Messiah”

You don’t have to be a talented vocalist to participate in the Dec. 20 evocation of Handel’s “Messiah.” Anyone who’s interested, whether they can carry a tune or not, is welcome to vocally join the 125 singers from the Santa Rosa Symphonic Chorus and the Santa Rosa Junior College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.

A full orchestra, directed by Daniel Earl, accompanies the singers; the audience is prompted by songbooks handed out before the event, which dates to 1981. The atmosphere is celestial, and proceeds benefit local music academies and youth orchestras.

Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School, 4400 Day School Place, Santa Rosa, 707-522-8786, sing- along-messiah.org, $20

OCCIDENTAL: Union Hotel Carols & Cookies

The Union Hotel’s holiday event has become so renowned that visitors come from San Francisco and beyond to enjoy the caroling and thousands of cookies baked by Barbara Gonnella and her crew.

One visitor, with a luxuriant white beard and red jacket, comes to the hotel all the way from the North Pole.

The tradition began more than 30 years ago when Mark Gonnella, who managed the Union’s saloon, offered hot apple cider and sweet treats to carolers gathered in the hotel’s bar, Barbara Gonnella said.

Mark, who was Barbara’s brother-in-law, died in 2007, but the Gonnella family has carried on the generous tradition by baking brightly frosted cookies as a gift for the Occidental community.

There are gingerbread men, Christmas trees, snowmen, twinkling stars and even hotel-shaped cookies with “Union Hotel” pressed into them. Last year the number of cookies reached 4,000, said Gonnella, who sifts the dry ingredients herself for every batch.

Dec. 22, 7 p.m., Union Hotel, 3731 Main St., Occidental, 707-874-3555, unionhotel.com