Archive for December, 2009

Letters to Santa and holiday wish-lists are awfully fun, but it can put the holiday-season focus on acquisition instead of the warm glow of good fellowship. Teach kids to give back by bundling up gently-used possessions or gathering new ones and delivering them to one of the needy charities below. It can deliver a life-long lesson on just how beautiful it can be to give instead of receive.

St. Anthony’s Foundation has the easiest giving program of all: from now until December 24, participate in the Holiday Curbside Drive by bringing your loaded car to 119 Golden Gate Avenue. St. Anthony’s workers will help you unload and give you a receipt. Money is always welcome, and St. Anthony’s is particularly looking for food (turkeys, hams, canned goods, non-perishables), clothing (new socks, underwear, jackets), and housewares (toiletries, blankets). Visit stanthonysf.org for more information.

Toys for Tots is a wonderful place to donate gifts from past Christmases or birthdays that never got played with. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off in dozens of locations in the Bay Area. Hurry up though: donation boxes will have their last pick-ups this week. See the local Toys for Tots website for drop-off locations.

The San Francisco Toy and Bicycle Campaign, sponsored by the San Francisco Police Department, the YMCA, and various local community groups, is hoping to collect more than 5,000 new toys and bikes for underprivileged children. Toys and bikes can be dropped off at any San Francisco police station. For more information, contact Lt. Michael Slade, 415-678-7373, or the Rev. Ishmael Burch, 415-822-7728; once again, this week is the last time to drop off toys and bikes.

Just in case you’re not out frantically gift-buying.

Roaring Camp’s Holiday Lights Train

A bit of a hike from the Bay Area is worth it for this festive train ride that ferries riders through lighted-up Santa Cruz Victorians and back, with a visit from Santa, sing-along Christmas carols, and cocoa.

When: Fri.-Sun., 12/18-21, 8pm; Mon.-Tue, 12/22 & 12/23, 5pm; All Ages; $17-22.

Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach Street (at Riverside Avenue), Santa Cruz; roaringcamp.com.

SFMOMA Family Studio and Tour: Winter Whites

This artsy event is a refreshing alternative to all-Christmas, all-the-time, with a special family tour at 1pm of mono-color works, followed by an art project in which participants create all-white works.

When: Sun., 12/20; 11:00am-3:00pm (tour starts at 1, art starts at 2); Age 4-11; Free activities and admission for families with kids age 4-11.

Where: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard), San Francisco, 415-357-4000, sfmoma.org.

Dickens Christmas Fair

A chance to don your finest velvets and silk and walk around doffing your hat at this annual extravaganza of music, food, spectacle, and shopping.

When: Sat. & Sun., 12/19 & 12/20; 11am-7pm; Age 4+; $10-22 (Parking $10).

Where: Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue (at Castillo Street), San Francisco; 800-510-1558; dickensfair.com.

An East Bay school district made national news this week when the Alameda Board of Education voted to replace a curriculum that emphasized tolerance for gay people with a more general lesson about bullying.

The original lesson, a.k.a. “Lesson 9,” became a hot topic due to the national controversy over gay marriage, and became an extremely divisive issue amongst East Bay Parents, sparking weeks of intense meetings, and a lawsuit. Gay parents hoped that Lesson 9 would prevent their children getting grief, while other parents argued that elementary school children aren’t old enough to learn about gay issues.

The new curriculum agreed upon by the board will include six children’s books that talk about stereotypes and how they hurt people, including gays.

A dozen Alameda families sued the school district earlier this year, contending that parents should be notified in advance of the gay-tolerant lessons, so their kids can be excused. The judge in the case sided with the district, ruling that a state law that allows parents to “opt-out” of discussions about human sexuality was not applicable to Lesson 9.

Christmas At Sea

Sing-along sea chanteys, followed by ornament-making, a holiday story, and tours of historical vessels staffed by costumed actors playing captains and crews from Christmas of 1901.

When: Sat., 12/12, 3-7pm; Age 3+; Free for children under 16, $5 for those over 16. Reservations are required for the evening boat tours.

Where: Hyde Street Pier, Hyde Street (at the Embarcadero), San Francisco, 415-447-5000, nps.gov/safr.

Ice Adventures Holidaze Ice Show

Skaters glide across the ice in festive holiday costumes, to the tunes of the season.

When: Fri. & Sat. 12/11 & 12/12, 7pm; Age 6+; $10-25.

Where: Yerba Buena Ice Skating & Bowling Center, 750 Folsom Street (at Third Street), San Francisco; 415-820-3532; skatebowl.com.

Holiday Lights & Sights Boat Parade

More than 100 boats sail elegantly past with lights aglow in this memorable holiday traditional parade.

When: Sat., 11/12, 6pm; Age 7+; Free.

Where: Pier 39, Embarcadero Street (at Grant Street), San Francisco, pier39.com.

The Velveteen Rabbit

The traditional holiday presentation of Margery Williams’ classic tale about a stuffed rabbit who becomes real is just as tear-jerking as the book.

When: Thu.-Fri., 12/10-11, 11am; Sat. 12/12, 1pm & 4pm; Sun. 12/13, 2pm; Age 4+; $15-45.

Where: Novellus Theater at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard Street (at Third Street), San Francisco;
415-978-2787; odcdance.org.

Why watch when you can perform?

Dance-Along Nutcracker: The audience gets up and dances during the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Band’s exceedingly popular annual soiree. If you didn’t bring along your own tiara and tutu, rent one for a nominal fee before the performance. Matinee shows are the most kid-friendly and draw the most families. Sat. 12/12, 2pm & 7pm (Gala performance); Sun. 12/13, 11 am & 3pm; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard Street (at Third Street), San Francisco; dancealongnutcracker.org, $16-50.

Holiday Family Sing-Along at Grace Cathedral: Sing along to the haunting strains of the Pacific Boychoir as they sing traditional holiday carols in the soaring Grace Cathedral. Sat. 12/12, 11am; Sat. 12/19, 11am; 1100 California Street (at Taylor Street), San Francisco; gracecathedral.org; $5-25.

Let Us Break Bread Together: Holiday songs and sing alongs from the Oakland Symphony Chorus, Terrance Kelly and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Mt. Eden High School Choir, Klezmer band Kugelplex. Sun. 12/13, 4pm; Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway Avenue (at Grand Avenue), Oakland; oebs.org; $10-40.

It’s sparkly light time!

Lights-On Parties

Places to see pretty, pretty lights.

Fri., 12/4, 5:30-7:30pm, Jack London Square Lights Up for the Holidays

Sat., 12/5, 3-8pm; Union Street Fantasy of Lights

Fri., 12/4-30, 4-9pm; Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights

Fri., 12/4-1/4, 5:30-9:30pm; Oakland Zoo ZooLights

Nutcracker, Nutcracker, Nutcracker

The holiday classic is being put on by at least 20 local ballet troupes, including:

San Francisco Ballet in San Francisco

Contra Costa Ballet in Walnut Creek

Western Ballet in Mountain View

Ballet San Jose in San Jose

Santa Clara Ballet Company in Santa Clara

The best thing about Christmas: fancy eye-candy, and kids to appreciate it with. Take advantage of the fantastic recent weather and spend an afternoon on a Christmas decor crawl. Start at the Macy’s holiday windows at Stockton and O’Farrell Streets lining Union Square; Christmas tableaus are dog- and cat-sized, all the better to make you go “Aww!” over the adoptable dogs and cats from the SPCA that live in the windows for the season.

Your next stop is the Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell Street (at Geary Street) on the corner of  Union Square for a look at the slowly spinning twelve-foot sugar castle that looks worthy of Cinderella. After you’ve gotten an eyeful of that, walk through Union Square to admire the giant lit-up tree, menorah, and ice skaters. Stop and have a cup of cocoa, and maybe try a few chocolates at See’s (avoid the pumpkin truffle!). Then walk  a few blocks over to jewelry store Shreve and Co., 200 Post Street (at Grant Street). There you’ll see “Christmas at the Opera,” holiday windows featuring San Anselmo artist Kat Soto’s marionettes in scenes from 14 different operas.

Next is the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 345 Stockton Street (between Post and Sutter Streets), to see the Snow Village miniatures. Castro Valley resident Len Connacher started collecting the miniatures back in the ’80s and soon had such a giant collection he donated thousands of them to the hotel. Miniature scenes like children playing on tiny statues of Rudolph and Santa and couples whirling in a scale-model ballroom, are particularly fascinating to very small kids.

Still got energy? The final stop on the tour is a long, steep haul up Powell Street. Wow, look at that hill. Maybe you’d better jump on that cable car, unless your kids are particularly spoiling for a bunch of hills. Hop off at California Street, hang a left to the Fairmont Hotel at 950 Mason Street, and head straight for the gigantic gingerbread house near the front desk. It’s two stories high, beautiful and vast, and makes the entire lobby smell like gingerbread. This year there’s even a room inside for kids to write (and post!) letters to Santa. Have a well-earned cup of cocoa at the Laurel Court Restaurant. Or, if you’re there after 5pm, get a Tiki cocktail and some island-y food at the Tonga Room, where kids are welcome at the tables (just not at the bar) and the indoor thunderstorm goes off hourly.