🎄 HOLIDAY NEWS 🎅
Oakland Zoo Glowfari tickets are now on sale! Tickets available on a rolling 28-day basis. Check out Instagram for pro tips before you book.
🎄🚗 💵 Dickens Fair | Opens Nov 22. Runs 5 weekends through Dec. 21. 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM | 🚗 Cow Palace | 👨 All Ages | 💵 | Info
An immersive adventure into Victorian London, it’s an elaborate holiday party with hundreds of costumed players performing and interacting with patrons in over 140,000 square feet of theatrically-lit music halls, pubs, dance floors, and festive shops.
✨ Holidays at Filoli | Starting Nov 22 - Jan 6 | Filoli Gardens | 👶 All Ages | 💵 | Info
The historic estate is transformed into a wonderland of breathtaking beauty and festive delight! Three signature experiences: Gilded (daytime decorated House & Garden), Thistlewyck (enchanted Redwood village), and Holiday Lights (evening).
And if you’re staying with family over the holidays, here are some of my favorite hostess gifts! A beautiful spoontula to replace their plastic one (even comes in right- or left- handed!), hand soap that actually gets rid of garlic smell, and salumi sets from a seriously good wine country meat company.
Doing a big clean-out before hosting Thanksgiving? Goodwill has extended donation hours to 9 AM - 9 PM every day of the week!
Letters to Santa programs (and he writes back!):
Belmont Letters to Santa | Nov 3 - Dec 8 | Info Youth can write to the North Pole and get a free personalized response! Drop off at Santa's mailbox in front of the Belmont Parks and Rec office or USPS mail Attn: Santa Claus! |
Foster City Letters to Santa | Nov 17 - Dec 5 | Info Drop letters in the magical North Pole mailbox or USPS mailbox and wait for Santa's response! |
USPS Operation Santa | Info Postmark letters by Dec 6 to Santa's official North Pole address and yes, it is: Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888! Letters are published online (personal info redacted) where adopters can select letters and respond with gifts and notes. |
San Mateo’s outdoor Central Park ice rink opens Nov 14! Recommended for ages 4+, you can book online ahead of time or it’s first come-first served for the free community skate days on Nov 18, Dec 2, and Dec 16. Klabbit Note:
Curiodyssey’s Illuminodyssey opened Sat, Nov 15! Perfect rainy day fun for elementary-aged kids and toddlers. It gets pretty busy so I recommend arriving around opening time and heading there first.
Make a reservation for free photos with Santa and a Yuletide breakfast at Bass Pro in San Jose!
Thinking about advent calendars? This KiwiCo one looks fun, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this Thomas the Train one, and our whole family loves this Bonne Maman calendar with special flavors like orange, yuzu, grapefruit or milk caramel with madagascar vanilla! We pair with Pillsbury biscuits and it’s the perfect snack on a blustery afternoon.
