11 local and Bay Area activities bring holiday spirit

Just after the tiny chocolate Santas, about 30 minutes before the three-tiered presentation of finger sandwiches and goodies, my three daughters and I found ourselves face to face with Jingles.

Jingles, the balloon artist elf, that is.

The elf was prancing around the Laurel Court Restaurant and Bar at the Fairmont San Francisco’s Holiday Tea for the express purpose of enhancing the experience with balloon animals and other inflatable mementos.

As we waited for our curate (that’s what they call those three-tiered serving trays, by the way), Jingles blew, bent and twisted balloons into giant candy canes for my two younger girls and a flower for my oldest. He told jokes. He danced jigs. He even mugged for some pictures with us, including one he took and called an “elfie.”

Sure, the kids’ banana-and-Nutella sandwiches were delicious. And yes, we got to glimpse the Fairmont’s 22-foot-tall Christmas tree and walk through a two-story gingerbread house.

But all the girls keep talking about was the elf.

Even without Jingles, the Fairmont Holiday Tea is worth the splurge. Grownups receive bottomless sparkling wine in addition to tea, and the finger sandwiches include delicious options such as sous vide chicken salad and roasted heirloom carrots with whipped feta and dill. The 3:30 p.m. seating generally has more availability than the 1 p.m., so plan accordingly. Prices are $149 for adults and $89 for kids. Go to fairmont-san-francisco.com/explore/holidays for more information.

The Fairmont’s Holiday Tea has been a beloved tradition for 115 years. The experience is one of about a dozen different local family-friendly holiday celebrations this year. Some of these events include nibbles; others are confined to shopping or physical activity. All the gatherings are festive, and every one of them is fun.

Sonoma County

Fittingly for Sonoma County residents, many of these annual holiday shindigs are held in and around Santa Rosa.

Downtown, check out Winter Lights, a holiday extravaganza that runs until Saturday, Dec. 31. In addition to lights and live music, the biggest attraction is Skate on the Square, which revolves around a synthetic ice rink at Old Courthouse Square.

Tickets are $8.50 for a 45-minute skate session. Go to downtownsantarosa.org/winterlights for more information and to get skating tickets.

Elsewhere in town, at the sculpture garden behind Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, there’s Northern Lights, a free light walk that runs through Sunday, Jan. 1. The experience is chock-full of Instagram-worthy backdrops, including a lighted tunnel and mushrooms that twinkle on the ground like fallen stars. The experience comprises colorful lighted sculptures by local artists and works by students from Santa Rosa Junior College. More information is at lutherburbankcenter.org/northernlights.

In Healdsburg, the municipal government and Corazon Healdsburg will host a free event to celebrate Posada and Hanukkah from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday. The shindig will include traditional food and treats, music, a car show and a menorah-lighting at sundown.

San Francisco and Oakland

Holiday events outside the county are similarly spectacular, especially in big-city destinations such as San Francisco and Oakland.

There’s lots of holiday fun at the 2022 Winter Wonderland event at Thrive City, the plaza in front of Chase Center where the Golden State Warriors play (1 Warriors Way, San Francisco). This gathering spot is home to a 90-foot Christmas tree (you read that right), a mailbox for letters to Santa and a nightly sprinkling of “snow.”

This weekend, the Winter Wonderland also will host festive arts and crafts, pictures with Santa and a menorah-lighting. The event is free, but RSVP is required at chasecenter.com/thrivecity.

In Daly City, Victorian England has risen again, as the Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Holiday Party returns to the Cow Palace on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 18. This year’s fair, the first in two years, will be overflowing with holiday-themed shops, pubs, stages and dance halls. Period actors will act out Victorian and Elizabethan scenes and skits. Someone may even recite Chaucer.

Attending is like walking onto a set for a Harry Potter movie, only without the threat of bad guys such as Voldemort. Prices are $45 for adults and $25 for children. Find more information at dickensfair.com.

Across the bay, in the Berkeley hills, the Claremont Club & Spa has resurrected its annual Five Palms Ice program, which revolves around ice-skating through February.

The ice rink is synthetic; the surface is made from a Swiss-engineered fake ice known as Glice. For visitors who need a little extra help staying upright, plastic dolphins are available to lean on for stability. Five Palms Alfresco, an après-skate chalet, sells wood-fired pizza, salads, s’mores and even cookie-decorating kits. Admission is $24 for adults and $12 for kids, and the prices include skate rentals. Find more information at claremont-hotel.com/activities/five-palms-ice.

Farther afield

For those families willing to spend a few hours in the car, other holiday escapades are worth the drive.

In West Sacramento, for instance, the River Fox Magical Christmas Train transports guests on journey with Santa and his elves through the countryside of Yolo County with views of ivy-covered woodlands, colorful orchards, and the glistening Sacramento River. During this hourlong, 10-mile round trip, guests 12 and younger enjoy hot chocolate, holiday cookies, and story time. There also will be wine and beer for parents. The train runs through Dec. 23; tickets are $55 for adults and $45 for kids. Get tickets at riverfoxtrain.com/experiences/magical-christmas-train.

In Santa Cruz, the Holiday Lights Train from Roaring Camp Railroad is a different spin on the same theme. Vintage excursion cars, adorned with thousands of colorful lights, roll through city streets past houses decorated for the season.

The train runs Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 10 to 11, and Dec. 17 to 23; prices start at $45 for adults and $33 for kids. Find tickets at bit.ly/3VGGVUm.

Elsewhere in the South Bay, San Jose transforms its Plaza de Cesar Chavez into a winter wonderland during the annual Christmas in the Park event.

As part of this shindig, the plaza is decorated with hundreds of trees, all paid for and decorated by local companies and nonprofits. Most weekend nights vendors are out and about selling crafts and goodies for people to enjoy as they stroll. Admission to this part of the bash is free.

The party, which runs through the end of the year, also includes Blinky’s Illuminated Holiday at Lake Cunningham Park. This tradition is a drive-thru musical journey that takes families through a mind-blowing light tunnel and synchronized light show with millions of colors, all from the comfort of their own vehicles. Admission is $30 per car, and you can find more information at christmasinthepark.com/p/getconnected/know-before-you-go.

We might not have snow and freezing temperatures, but Sonoma County and the Bay Area know how to celebrate the season, so get out and into the spirit for these attractions that come but once a year.