Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Skip the same old gatherings

Image by nenochka/istock/thinkstock
Place

Central Library

330 Park Boulevard, San Diego

Handmade holiday at the downtown library

From grandparents, moms, and dads to teens and toddlers, there’s something for every member of the family at this holiday fiesta. Enjoy live music presented by Rarefied Recording, and shop from a curated selection of original, handmade goods (including jewelry, pottery, soaps, plants, and much more) from over 30 local artists and designers. Kids can make their own gifts at a craft table. And, for something a little different, the Grinch is stepping in to help lighten Santa’s load. Saturday, December 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Place

Great News!

1788 Garnet Avenue, San Diego

Step into a gourmet vortex

Pacific Beach

Sponsored
Sponsored

Entertain like a pro after taking this three-hour cooking course with Diane Phillips (aka Diva of Do-Ahead) and Phillis Carey (aka Queen of the Fast and Fabulous) at Great News on December 6 or 7. These entertaining chefs will not only show you how to create festive drinks and dishes (such as pear Bellini, bacon-wrapped quiche lorraine, pork tenderloins with caramelized pears and pear brandy sauce, and butternut squash and caramelized onion gratin), they will also share helpful hints for preparing any holiday meal. $100 per person. Check the line-up for cooking classes for all denominations, such as the Hanukkah celebration with Chef Jenn.

Place

Bravo School of Art at Liberty Station

2690 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 19, Studio 206, San Diego

Make copper and brass ornaments

Liberty Station

Instructor Sharon K. Novak will show you basic metalsmithing techniques to create “stars, trees, angels, birds, bells, abstract forms” and more in this workshop on Wednesday, December 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. You’ll be provided all the tools and materials you need to “twist, coil, spiral, and sew” thin-gauge wires and brass sheets, to which you can add decorative details and colorful beads. Bravo School of Art members pay $68, nonmembers $78, plus $14 for materials.

Place

Encinitas Library

540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas

The Santa Claus Chronicles

Encinitas

The singing and dancing kids of the children’s theater troupe PRODIGY Players have been practicing since September to present this series of sweet and fun 30-minute plays at the Encinitas Library on December 13 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Via vignettes of “Santa’s Christmas Spectacular,” audience members will go behind the scenes to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as some hardworking elves. Be sure to return to the library on December 17 (3:00 to 5:00 p.m.) for the Ho-Ho Holiday Party, with cookies, crafts, Christmas carols, and free family photos with Santa.

Place

Westgate Hotel

1055 Second Avenue, San Diego

Elegance, including kids

Downtown

Holiday magic comes to life with twinkling lights and live harp music. Enjoy seasonal beverages, petit fours, and house-made canapés at this “intimate and elegant” affair. The season brings an extra treat for children, who get to play dress-up for fancy fun as they taste pastries, tartlets, brownies and more, before being escorted to the gorgeous Grand Lobby for a private performance by Santa, his magician, an elf, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, after which Santa himself will narrate a Christmas classic. Teas are offered throughout the month of December; $45 for adults, $30 for children.

Holiday lunch cruise

San Diego Grape Street Pier at 1800 N Harbor Drive, Embarcadero

Impress your coworkers by skipping the same old gathering at that restaurant you all go to a few times a week, and throw your annual company holiday lunch on the bay! This two-hour cruise with Hornblower includes a boarding glass of champagne or sparkling cider (for anyone who wants to go back to work), a seated lunch and holiday dessert buffet, background holiday music, and, of course, ever-changing views of the stunning downtown coastline. Available on Fridays in December, $45 per person.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Bringing Order to the Christmas Chaos

There is a sense of grandeur in Messiah that period performance mavens miss.
Next Article

Operatic Gender Wars

Are there any operas with all-female choruses?
Image by nenochka/istock/thinkstock
Place

Central Library

330 Park Boulevard, San Diego

Handmade holiday at the downtown library

From grandparents, moms, and dads to teens and toddlers, there’s something for every member of the family at this holiday fiesta. Enjoy live music presented by Rarefied Recording, and shop from a curated selection of original, handmade goods (including jewelry, pottery, soaps, plants, and much more) from over 30 local artists and designers. Kids can make their own gifts at a craft table. And, for something a little different, the Grinch is stepping in to help lighten Santa’s load. Saturday, December 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Place

Great News!

1788 Garnet Avenue, San Diego

Step into a gourmet vortex

Pacific Beach

Sponsored
Sponsored

Entertain like a pro after taking this three-hour cooking course with Diane Phillips (aka Diva of Do-Ahead) and Phillis Carey (aka Queen of the Fast and Fabulous) at Great News on December 6 or 7. These entertaining chefs will not only show you how to create festive drinks and dishes (such as pear Bellini, bacon-wrapped quiche lorraine, pork tenderloins with caramelized pears and pear brandy sauce, and butternut squash and caramelized onion gratin), they will also share helpful hints for preparing any holiday meal. $100 per person. Check the line-up for cooking classes for all denominations, such as the Hanukkah celebration with Chef Jenn.

Place

Bravo School of Art at Liberty Station

2690 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 19, Studio 206, San Diego

Make copper and brass ornaments

Liberty Station

Instructor Sharon K. Novak will show you basic metalsmithing techniques to create “stars, trees, angels, birds, bells, abstract forms” and more in this workshop on Wednesday, December 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. You’ll be provided all the tools and materials you need to “twist, coil, spiral, and sew” thin-gauge wires and brass sheets, to which you can add decorative details and colorful beads. Bravo School of Art members pay $68, nonmembers $78, plus $14 for materials.

Place

Encinitas Library

540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas

The Santa Claus Chronicles

Encinitas

The singing and dancing kids of the children’s theater troupe PRODIGY Players have been practicing since September to present this series of sweet and fun 30-minute plays at the Encinitas Library on December 13 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Via vignettes of “Santa’s Christmas Spectacular,” audience members will go behind the scenes to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as some hardworking elves. Be sure to return to the library on December 17 (3:00 to 5:00 p.m.) for the Ho-Ho Holiday Party, with cookies, crafts, Christmas carols, and free family photos with Santa.

Place

Westgate Hotel

1055 Second Avenue, San Diego

Elegance, including kids

Downtown

Holiday magic comes to life with twinkling lights and live harp music. Enjoy seasonal beverages, petit fours, and house-made canapés at this “intimate and elegant” affair. The season brings an extra treat for children, who get to play dress-up for fancy fun as they taste pastries, tartlets, brownies and more, before being escorted to the gorgeous Grand Lobby for a private performance by Santa, his magician, an elf, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, after which Santa himself will narrate a Christmas classic. Teas are offered throughout the month of December; $45 for adults, $30 for children.

Holiday lunch cruise

San Diego Grape Street Pier at 1800 N Harbor Drive, Embarcadero

Impress your coworkers by skipping the same old gathering at that restaurant you all go to a few times a week, and throw your annual company holiday lunch on the bay! This two-hour cruise with Hornblower includes a boarding glass of champagne or sparkling cider (for anyone who wants to go back to work), a seated lunch and holiday dessert buffet, background holiday music, and, of course, ever-changing views of the stunning downtown coastline. Available on Fridays in December, $45 per person.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Secrets of Resilience in May's Unforgettable Memoir

Next Article

San Diego beaches not that nice to dogs

Bacteria and seawater itself not that great
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader