Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way, it’s real holiday time!
7X7 magazine recently came out with a list of some great holiday ideas for celebrating in San Francisco…or as they dubbed it, “The San Francisco Holiday Survival Guide.”
Here are some of my favs:
3. Stock up on See’s lollypops for stocking stuffers (not to mention the perfect cross- country–flight oral fixation) at Simply Gourmet, Terminal 1. [Love the butterscotch.]
8. The miniature hand-pies from Bike Basket Pies—in apple, apple-cheddar, pumpkin and pumpkin-pecan—are small enough to eat after you’ve sworn you can’t eat another bite. bikebasketpies.com
10. Tartine’s bûche de Noël—a log look-alike made of chocolate chiffon cake and toasted-almond ganache, garnished with meringue mushrooms and pistachio “moss”—is a must. 600 Guerrero St., 415-487-2600, tartinebakery.com
11. Though you could drink the Tiger’s Milk No. 11 any time of year, this concoction of Spanish brandy, rum, sugar, cream and nutmeg seems perfectly appropriate for a rainy night. At Heaven’s Dog, 1148 Mission St., 415-863-6008, heavensdog.com
13. If the idea of combining calvados, amaro, apple butter and lemon strikes you as delicious, sample the Apple Bottoms Up, Hot Buttercup. At Conduit, 280 Valencia St.,
415-552-5200, conduitrestaurant.com
14. Heat up with a Fog Lifter (brandy, amaretto and coffee, topped with whipped cream) to help you shake the winter chill. At Range, 842 Valencia St., 415-282-8283, rangesf.com
17. Ton Kiang/Four Star Theatre
Dim sum first (don’t miss the delicate egg custard tarts), followed by a matinee—this is the gift you give yourself. Four Star Theatre, 2200 Clement St., 415-666-3488, hkinsf.com; 5821 Geary Blvd., 415-752-4440, tonkiang.net
19. Xiao Loong/Empire Theatre
Go to Xiao Loong for the soup dumplings and the Empire for the holiday matinees—tickets are only $7.75 before 2 p.m. Empire Theatre, 85 West Portal Ave., 415-661-2539, cinemark
.com/empire; Xiao Loong, 250 W. Portal Ave., 415-753-5678, xiaoloong.com
21. Tom Taylor and Jerry Goldstein’s home, located up one of the steepest streets in the Castro, is decorated to the kitsch hilt—make the pilgrimage once, and it will become a family tradition. 3650 21st St.
22. Take the guesswork out of everything with Lights of the Valley. This Web site catalogs the best and brightest throughout the Bay area—complete with a Google map—beginning Nov. 27. lightsofthevalley.com
23. If you’re going to do the tree-lighting thing, go old-school: At Macy’s in Union Square on the evening of Nov. 27 (the day after Thanksgiving), artisans’ wares and free entertainment will keep you amused until the 85-foot tree lights up. macys.com/pressroom
25. For a ritual that’s literally “only in San Francisco,” watch 17,000 bulbs light up the four iconic skyscrapers of Embarcadero Center on Nov. 21, preceded by a winter carnival and ice-skating at the Embarcadero Ice Rink. embarcaderocenter.com
26. Proceeds from the sale of trees at the Guardsmen Lot at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion benefit at-risk youth, and they have bouncy houses for the kids and will deliver your tree. 415-771-7747, guardsmen.org
28. Cliff’s Variety has it all—fake trees, tinsel trees, lights, ornaments and scores of last-minute stocking stuffers. 479 Castro St., 415-431-5365, cliffsvariety.com
29. Go guilt-free this year by purchasing a “Christmas tree” from Friends of the Urban Forest and SF Environment. Choose a non-traditional variety (we’re partial to the small-leaf tristania), enjoy it during the season, then give it back to be planted on an SF city block. sfenvironment.com/greenchristmas
31. Hip little Heartfelt in Bernal Heights has every stocking stuffer you never knew your friends needed (Japanese erasers? Vintage dish towels? Kids’ bath toys?). Wrapping is artful and free. 436 Cortland Ave., 415-648-1380, heartfeltsf.com
32. Local website Foodzie is your go-to site for foodie gifts. Artisanal edibles include Rick’s Picks pickled beets, Oakvale Farmstead Gouda and organic Whoopie Pies from
Little Laura’s Sweets. foodzie.com
39. Just when you’ve begun to weary of holiday shopping, the Bazaar Bizarre comes to town, with its cool-kid collection of hand-crafted wares. Dec. 12–13, County Fair Building at Golden Gate Park, bazaarbizarre.com *
43. There’s no better deal than renting a house through VRBO. Where else can you find an old, four-bedroom farmhouse in Bernal Heights for $400 a night, or a Noe Valley Victorian big enough for all the visiting relatives? vrbo.com
49. Hike the seven-mile Dipsea Trail—one way. Have your good friends pick you up in Stinson Beach and then down a round of beers.
50. Get a little culture in with your exercise for one of dozens of architectural walking tours with SF City Guides. sfcityguides.org
* There’s also the Etsy Handmade Ho-down on December 3rd, Drinking and handmade gift shopping? Count me in.
