Here are our picks for great events and activities for children and families this weekend. Find more events for the whole week in Marin and beyond in our Family Events Calendar.

There's also holiday ice skating at numerous locations throughout the Bay Area, as well as opportunities to visit with Santa Claus at local shopping centers. Also, check out our guide to North Bay Christmas tree farms and Lots.

Friday, November 29

• The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
  The Cow Palace, San Francisco
  Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11 am–7 pm
  The Dickens Fair runs on weekends through December 22. Experience Victorian London with hundreds of costumed players, shops offering one-of-a-kind gifts and Christmas treasures, dining, and pubs. Meet Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, Tiny Tim, Jules Verne, David Copperfield, Charles Darwin, and 700 costumed characters. Of course, Father Christmas himself will be on hand to join in the fun. Adults 13+ $25, children 5–11 $12, free for children under 5. Save $2 each on kids' tickets when ordering online in advance. For more info, visit their website.
  
• San Rafael 34th Annual Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland
  Downtown San Rafael
  Friday, noon–8 pm & Saturday, 9 am–noon
  Downtown San Rafael will once again commence the holiday season with its Winter Wonderland, Parade of Lights, and Holiday Marketplace with arts and crafts that starts the Friday after Thanksgiving and continues through Saturday November 30. On Friday, there will be free snow sledding and kids activities from noon–4:30 pm and 6–8 pm, and Holiday Marketplace from noon–8 pm. The Parade of Lights begins at 5:30 pm with Santa and Mrs. Claus's arrival and, a tree-lighting takes place immediately after. Kids activities and snow sledding continue on Saturday, November 30, from 9 am–noon. On Fourth Sreet from B Street to Lootens Place in downtown San Rafael. For more info, visit their website.
• Christmas Cheer at the Mission
  Mission San Rafael at Saint Raphael's
  Friday, noon–6 pm
  The first annual Christmas Cheer at the Mission takes place during the 34th Annual Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland in downtown San Rafael. Plenty for the entire family to enjoy including yuletide sweets and treats, savory sausages, wine, and hot cider. Visit the mission for some fun before or after your time on the sledding hill down the street. Activities include arts and crafts for kids, a Jingle Bell Cupcake Walk, and handmade ornaments for purchase. Bring an unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots or canned food for St. Vincent de Paul's food pantry if you can. Location: 1100 Fifth Avenue at A Street, San Rafael. For more info, visit their website.
• ODC/Dance's The Velveteen Rabbit
  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco
  Friday–Sunday, 2 pm
  Bring the family for this beloved Bay Area holiday tradition. ODC/Dance enlivens Margery Williams’ classic tale of a well-worn nursery rabbit that becomes real. Told though music, dance and a powerful narrative, The Velveteen Rabbit celebrates the unique relationship between a little boy and his stuffed rabbit, and the enduring power of love. Tickets range from $17–$47. Sunday's performance is followed by a Milk and Cookies Party (separate admission, $12). For more info, visit their website.
• Festival of Lights
  Marin Country Mart, Larkspur Landing
  Friday, 3–6 pm
  Celebrate the Festival of Lights at Marin Country Mart with an art workshop and Hanukkah crafts for children. Complimentary latkes, served with crème fraiche and applesauce or smoked salmon, will be available from 4–6 pm. For more information, visit their website.
• Ghirardelli Square 49th Annual Tree Lighting
  San Francisco
  Friday, 5:30 pm
  Enjoy free live entertainment for the entire family throughout the day culminating with the lighting of the Ghirardelli Square tree at 5:30 pm. This year’s festivities will include live music, children’s entertainment and a visit from Santa. Christina Loren, NBC Bay Area’s Meteorologist will emcee the event. Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point Street (at Beach and Larkin), San Francisco. For more info, visit their website.
• Macy's 24th Annual Union Square Tree Lighting
  Union Square, San Francisco
  Friday, 6 pm
  Macy's gift to the city and San Francisco's most recognized Christmas tree will be officially lit in Union Square at 6 pm. Macy's 24th Annual Tree Lighting will take place in Union Square Park between Sutter and Post and Geary and Stockton Streets, right across from the front of Macy's. For more info, visit their website.
  
• Cinnabar Theater Young Repertory Presents Annie
  Cinnabar Theater, Petaluma
  Friday, 7:30 pm
  The popular comic strip heroine takes center stage in one of the world’s best loved musicals. Performed by a cast of over 50 7–17-year-olds. Admission: $15 adults, $10 your 21 and under. Location: 3333 Petaluma Boulevard North. For more info and tickets, visit their website.

Here's another delicious Thanksgiving side dish recipe from our friends at Agricultural Community Events Farmers Markets, the non-profit group that puts on the Marinwood, Downtown Novato, Fairfax, Petaluma East, and Santa Rosa Community Farmers' Markets, among others. This one features everyone's favorite healthy leafy green—kale. What's great about this recipe is it tells you which farmers' market vendors you can buy the ingredients from!

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoon olive oil (Big Paw at Marinwood Community Farmers' Market has great California Olive Oil, Bannono Olive Oil at Santa Rosa Community Farmers' Market, Wylands Orchard at Petaluma East Side Farmers' Market has olive oil from Petaluma, Nan's Gourmet at Petaluma East Side Farmers' Market)
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds (Noeller Farms at Marinwood Farmers' Market or Redel's Almond at Petaluma East Side and Santa Rosa Farmers' Market)
• 2 medium red onions, sliced (Calvillo Brothers at Marinwood Community Farmers Market, Ortiz Brothers at Marinwood, Petaluma East Side and Santa Rosa)
• 4 clove(s) garlic finely chopped (Krout's Sunset Ranch at Petaluma East Side Farmers' Market, Laguna Farm at Petaluma East Side Farmers' Market and Ortiz Brothers at Marinwood Community Farmers' Market)

All across Marin and the Bay Area, communities celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with a traditional tree lighting ceremony. Here's a sampling of what's going on throughout Marin County, San Francisco, and Sonoma.

• San Rafael 34th Annual Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland
  Downtown San Rafael
  Friday, November 29, noon–8 pm & Saturday, November 30, 9 am–noon
  Downtown San Rafael will once again commence the holiday season with its Winter Wonderland, Parade of Lights, and Holiday Marketplace with arts and crafts that starts the Friday after Thanksgiving and continues through Saturday November 30. On Friday, there will be free snow sledding and kids activities from noon–4:30 pm and 6–8 pm, and Holiday Marketplace from noon–8 pm. The Parade of Lights begins at 5:30 pm with Santa and Mrs. Claus's arrival and, a tree-lighting takes place immediately after. Kids activities and snow sledding continue on Saturday, November 30, from 9 am–noon. On Fourth Sreet from B Street to Lootens Place in downtown San Rafael.

Here's another delicious Thanksgiving side dish recipe from our friends at Agricultural Community Events Farmers Markets, the non-profit group that puts on the Marinwood, Downtown Novato, Fairfax, Petaluma East, and Santa Rosa Community Farmers' Markets, among others. What's great about this recipe is it tells you which farmers' market vendors you can buy the ingredients from!

Ingredients

• 5 celery ribs, thinly sliced - Calvillo Brothers (Marinwood Farmers Market), Ortiz Brothers (Marinwood, Petaluma East Side, and Santa Rosa at the Veterans Building)
• 2 medium onions, chopped - Lots of options here, Tolay Valley Farm (Marinwood Farmers Market), Calvillo Brothers (Marinwood Farmers Market), Ortiz Brother (Marinwood, Petaluma East Side, and Santa Rosa at the Veterans Building), First Light Farm (Petaluma East Side Farmers Market)

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike.

A combination of pumpkin and pecan pie is divine. Add a little whiskey to it and homemade whip cream and you have a dessert that will blow the socks off everyone. I made this for Thanksgiving but it would be perfect for any holiday party or dessert. For the kids, I made them individual pies, which they absolutely loved.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 1 box of graham crackers, finely ground
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

This guest Thanksgiving recipe is from my friend and fellow Marin mom Nancy Grossi, author of the award-winning blog The Wife of a Dairyman. Nancy started her blog at the beginning of 2010, and offers a look into life on one of Marin's many dairy farms.

Tis the season for butternut squash, pumpkins, the scent of cinnamon wafting through the house, all good things in my book. On this night I tried a new butternut squash recipe where it's first peeled, cut into chunks and then roasted in a heavenly buttery, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, o.j. mixture. Oh yeah.

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

This year, as I've done for several years now, I'll cook our Thanksgiving turkey on the charcoal barbeque grill. This is, in my humble opinion, the best way to cook a turkey, hands down. And it frees up the oven for more important Thanksgiving fare, like pie.

Cooking the turkey on the grill has long been my family's favorite way of doing so. I know a lot of people like to deep fry their turkeys in one of those turkey fryer contraptions, but as Captain Kirk shows in this cautionary video, it can be hazardous to life and limb.

Here's what you'll need to cook up your turkey on the grill. My method is optimized for your standard 22-inch Weber charcoal grill, so your mileage may vary with other kinds. I have no idea if this will work on gas grills, so if you try it and it doesn't work don't blame me.

It's Thanksgiving week, and since most schools give kids the entire week off, you'll probably be looking for ways to keep them occupied before and after Turkey Day. Here are our top 10 activities for families for Thanksgiving break:

• Go ice skating at a Bay Area skating rink like Marin on Ice.
• Go on a hike at Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve, or try another fantastic fall hike.
• Get a head start on the holidays at the West End Nursery Christmas House in San Rafael.
• Make a cute pumpkin turkey centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table.
• Hav fun at an indoor play play space like PlayLand in Sausalito or Jack and Jill's in San Rafael

Does it really snow in Downtown San Rafael? Well, no... not very often. But that doesn't mean that they can't truck a bunch of the frozen white stuff for sledding on the Friday after Thanksgiving!

Snow will arrive in Marin as part of the 34th annual Downtown San Rafael Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland, taking place Friday, November 29. The event happens on Fourth Street from B Street to Lootens Place. Enjoy the Parade of Lights, Winter Wonderland, holiday market, tree lighting ceremony, live entertainment, and more! Free snow sledding and kids' activities take place from noon to 4:30 pm and 6 to 8 pm, and the Holiday Marketplace runs from noon to 8 pm.

Snow sledding takes place on the sledding hill—constructed from over 40 tons of snow—on A Street between Fourth and Fifth. Sledding is for kids only, and admission is free. Sledding will take place on Friday from noon to 4:30 pm, when it pauses for the Parade of Lights. Sledding resumes after the parade at 6 pm.