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It’s beginning to look a lot like (insert preferred winter holiday here), which means there are all kinds of ways to get merry or just chill out in San Francisco and beyond. Here are seven great ways to play, from “Nutcrackers” to Broadway blockbusters, a merry brew bike adventure and a zombie apocalypse — because no holiday season is complete without a visit from the ravenous undead.
Psst, if you’d like to get the Weekender things-to-do list delivered straight to your inbox, it’s so easy a zombie could do it (not that we’ve been hanging out with them or anything) …
1 HEAR: Legendary musicians serenading us with their awesomeness
Yep, this weekend offers Northern Californians some amazing shows, from Metallica blowing the roof off a Sacramento arena to the classic rock supergroup December People playing two shows to help feed the hungry. Find the deets here. Meanwhile, famed Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio is doing an acoustic gig in Oakland, and sax great Charles Lloyd is jamming with country singer Lucinda Williams in Berkeley. Choices, choices.
2 EAT: Holiday treats
Stroopwafel ice-cream sandwiches? Peppermint Bark Popcorn? Mini Chocolate Mousse Presents??? If your plans for the weekend include chilling on the couch with awesome holiday snacks, while streaming something equally delicious — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” perhaps? — we have a few suggestions. Among them: 14 fantastic Trader Joe’s holiday treats and the most binge-able screenings for the season.
3 SEE: A “Nutcracker” or two (or three)
The Bay Area is famous for its insanely rich “Nutcracker” scene, with productions running from classical and classy to silly, short and kid-friendly sweet. Prefer holiday dancing of a different sort? We’ve got the Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s holiday show in Mountain View and ODC’s charming “Velveteen Rabbit” adaptation is in its final week in San Francisco. Find all the details in our big holiday entertainment roundup.
4 SIP: OMG, IPA?
Hop aboard San Jose’s merry Brew Bike this weekend for a holiday lights tour that includes suds, cocoa, cookies and merriment. (You’re pedaling as you go, so the exercise negates the calories, right?) And the 15 wineries at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg — adorable Delta town, an hour from Walnut Creek — are bringing in food trucks, holiday entertainment and, of course, plenty of wine at Holiday Weekends at the Wineries, this weekend and next.
5 SEE: A Broadway blockbuster
Broadway wunderkind songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have a string of hits behind them, but none as big as “Dear Evan Hansen,” the Tony-winning musical about a troubled teen with a big secret, which opened in San Francisco this week.
6 WATCH: Natalie Portman & a holiday zombie invasion
The reviews are a little mixed, but everyone seems to agree: We’ve never seen Natalie Portman in a role like the one she commands in “Vox Lux,” where she plays a pop singer with a tragic past. It opens this weekend, along with the edgy comedy “Anna and the Apocalypse” (because the kids of America aren’t going to let a bunch of marauding undead types mess up their winter break). Here’s the weekend movie scoop.
7 PLAY: Bodega Bay day trip
We’ve got a sunny weekend ahead, so head for the coast! It may be too chilly to sunbathe, but a Bodega Bay day trip offers all sorts of fun, from clam chowder and fish taco eateries to a wine bar where the flights are served on itty-bitty surfboards.
