Weekend Family Events for December 16, 17 & 18

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 North Bay Christmas Tree Farms and Lots 2011 article.

Friday, December 16

• Children's Gingerbread Tea
  Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco
  Friday, 4–6 pm
  Bring the little ones to decorate a mini gingerbread house with sweets and candies. They will also be served a special Nursery Tea and Christmas cracker and receive a visit from the Christmas fairy. Each adult will have an aperitif, a Christmas cracker and a special Holiday Tea. Cost: $48 per child and $38 per adult (prices exclusive of tax and gratuity). For more info, call (415) 771-4252 or visit their website.
• Winter Fest
  Marinwood Community Center, San Rafael
  Friday,  5–7 pm
  See Marinwood transformed into a winter wonderland! Fun for the whole family, including treats, arts and crafts, music, photos with Santa, and more. Tickets: ages 12 and under $10 advance; $12 at the door. Adults are free. The Marinwood Community Center is located at 775 Miller Creek Road in San Rafael. More information: www.marinwood.org.
• Parent's Night Out with Chef Scott Davis
  In the Kitchen Culinary
  Friday, 5–9 pm
  ITK (In The Kitchen) Culinary and The Culinary Dude, are offering Parents Night Out for ages 4–14. You drop the kids off at 5 pm, they create a fresh, healthy meal for themselves as soon as they walk through the door, and you pick them up at 9 pm. Cost is $60 per kid, $100 for 2, $40 additional for third or more children. Late fee: A $1 fee will be charged for every minute late after 9 pm. For more info, visit their website.
• ZooLights 2011 at Oakland Zoo
  Oakland
  December 2, 2011–January 1, 2012, 5:30–9 pm
  Family, friends, and ZooLights are a great way to turn on your holiday spirit. See the ZooLights meadow show orchestrated by Impact Lighting. Enjoy a fantasyland of giant toy soldiers, with over-sized candy canes, lollipops, and gingerbread cookies in the rides area. Holiday music will fill the air as guests mingle among hundreds of thousands of energy-efficient LED lights. Cost: $7.50 for adults ($6.50 members), $5.50 for children and seniors ($4.50 members). Group rates do not apply. Zoo will be closed on December 24 and 25. For more info, visit their website.
• San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker
  War Memorial Opera House
  Friday, 7 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 2 & 7 pm
  The first ballet company to bring the Nutcracker tradition to America, San Francisco Ballet’s awe-inspiring production is like no other. Set in San Francisco during the 1915 World’s Fair, Clara’s dreamlike journey is an ode to the city’s historical grandeur—all amidst colorful, larger than life scenery, over 200 dazzling costumed characters, and of course Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score performed live by the world-class San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Ticket prices vary. Tickets range in price from $22–$259. For more info, visit their website.
• The Berkeley Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker
  Julia Morgan Center for the Arts
  Friday 7 pm, Saturday 2 & 7 pm, Sunday 2 pm
  This fresh retelling of the classic holiday favorite is a gift to all ages. All of the BBT students dance for joy and the pre-professional youth company performs with guest cavaliers from professional companies around the Bay Area. Prices vary—see website. For more info, call (510) 830-9524 or visit their website.
• Fall Junior Musical: Charlotte's Web
  The Playhouse San Anselmo
  Friday, 7 pm; Saturday and Sunday 2 pm
  Marily Izdebski Productions presents its 2011 Fall Junior Musical, Charlotte's Web, based on  book of the same name. Tickets: $9. For more info, call (415) 453-0199. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more info, visit their website.

Saturday, December 17

• Holiday Celebration at The Farmers Market
  Marin County Mart, Larkspur Landing
  Saturday, 9 am–4 pm
  Santa's reindeer are coming to the Marin Country Mart Farmers Market, this Saturday. Kids can have their photo taken in Santa's sleigh along with his reindeer, plus write a letter to santa, decorate cookies, and free hot chocolate for all! Enjoy organic Jewish holiday foods from Old World Food Truck. Schedule: 9:15-10 am, Christopher Smith and Holiday Music for Kids; 10-10:40 am, Scott the Storyteller; 11 am–noon, Santa Sing Along; noon-2 pm, Jubilee Klessmer Music; 9 am–4 pm pictures with Santa and his live reindeer. For more info, visit their website.
• Canine Holiday Potluck
  Meet at McInnis Park, in the Hillside Picnic Area
  Saturday, noon–2 pm
  Take a break from the festivities and give your furry friend something to celebrate! Rangers will provide hot chocolate and apple cider if you bring light lunchtime or holiday treats to share with humans and dogs alike. Bring a leash. Rain will cancel. For more information: Call Supervising Ranger Adam Craig at (415) 446-4423. Meet at McInnis Park, in the Hillside picnic area, 310 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael. Free. For more info, call (415) 446-4423 or visit their website.
• Gingerbread Architecture Extravaganza
  Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito
  Saturday & Sunday, 10:30 am, 11:30 am & 12:30 pm
  The 14th Annual Gingerbread Architecture Extravaganza runs through December 23. Cost is $30 per gingerbread kit for members and $40 per non-members, which includes museum admission for one adult and one child per kit purchased. Pre-registration is required, so register online at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Make sure to reserve your spot as soon as you can, because the event does sell out.
• Free Family Book Reading and Sing-Along at Youth in Arts
  Youth in Arts Gallery, San Rafael
  Saturday, 11 am–1 pm
  Bay Area author/illustrator Elisa Kleven will read from her award-winning books at the Youth in Arts Gallery. We'll follow up with a sing-along from Youth in Arts show The Paper Princess and the Piñata. Ideal for ages 3–7. Free. Location: 917 C Street (between 3rd & 4th), San Rafael. For more info, visit their website.
• Dream Circle Holiday Concert
  Bay Area Discovery Museum
  Saturday, 11:30 am & 1 pm
  Featuring Tim Cain, Miss Kitty, Cindy Cohen and Christopher Smith on Saturday at 11:30 am and 1 pm at the Bay Area Discovery Museum for ages 1 and up. Bring the entire family for this seasonal celebration featuring songs for a wide range of winter holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year. Dream Circle is a dream lineup of the Bay Area’s best loved children’s entertainers. Share in the true meaning of the holidays at this heart-filled performance, and then spend a wonderful day at the museum. Cost: members $7, general $16 (includes museum admission). For more info or to register online, visit their website.
• Marin Dance Theatre: Sophie and The Enchanted Toyshop
  Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium
  Saturday, 1 & 5 pm
  Marin Dance Theatre, an internationally recognized dance training center, presents this delightful full-length two-act children's ballet, featuring over 150 dancers plus professional guest artists. A Dickens-style street scene comes alive with gypsies, magicians, and mysterious commedia del arte masked players. As a kindly toy maker enters with his mischievous harlequin monkeys, he sweeps Sophie away to her amazing adventure. Following the 1 pm performance, meet the cast and have your photo taken at the Teddy Bear Tea Party in the Redwood Foyer. Adults, $35, students and seniors $25; Teddy Bear Tea Party $5. For more information, go to www.mdt.org or purchase tickets here.
• Dance with Sherry Studio’s Tapcracker
  Marin Center Showcase Theater
  Saturday, 2 & 5:30 pm
  Performed for the 12th sensational year, this is a funny, quirky, and hilarious original take on that old standard, The Nutcracker. Join Clara and the Tapcracker as they venture into the realm of dancing Christmas trees, snowballs, snow moms, flakey snow flakes, dancing presents, Sugar Plum Barbies, rapping mice and the inhabitants of the Peppermint Palace. Discover a newer, jazzier version that highlights all of the students as they perform tap, jazz, hip-hop, breakdancing, and musical theater. Adults $22 advance, $25 at the door; children 10 and under $12. For more info, visit www.dancewithsherrystudio.com.
• Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker in Santa Rosa
  Saturday, 2 & 7:30 pm
  Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
  Spectacular scenic design, gorgeous costumes and the exquisite artistry of 40 top Russian artists make this Nutcracker the must-see production of the season! Beloved Russian fairytale characters and larger-than life puppets add to the whimsical and imaginative storytelling that sets the Great Russian Nutcracker apart. Ticket prices: $27.50, $37.50, $47.50, and $67.50. For more info or to purchase tickets, go to their website.
• San Rafael Lighted Boat Parade 2011
  San Rafael Canal
  Saturday, 6 pm
  Come and celebrate the holiday season with the San Rafael's annual lighted boat parade. Boaters throughout Marin County prepare their vessels for what has become one of the largest lighted boat parades in the Bay Area. Parade viewing along San Rafael Canal, at Montecito Plaza, and at Seafood Peddler. For more info, call (415) 485-1489 or visit their website.
• The Berkeley Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker (see Friday for details).
• San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker (see Friday for details).
• ZooLights 2011 at Oakland Zoo (see Friday for details).
• Fall Junior Musical: Charlotte's Web (see Friday for details).

Sunday, December 18

• Civic Center Farmers' Market
  Marin Civic Center, San Rafael
  Sunday, 8 am–1 pm
  There's lots of organically grown produce, breads, eggs, and fresh cut flowers, as well as live music, bounce houses, and more. This farmers' market is a great one to take the kids to. It’s located in the main Civic Center parking lot. For more info, visit their website.
• Breakfast with Enzo
  Mill Valley Golf Course Clubhouse
  Sunday, 10 am & 11 am
  Family entertainer Enzo Garcia present Breakfast with Enzo at the Mill Valley Golf Course Clubhouse every Sunday. $6 per person. The Mill Valley Golf Course Clubhouse is located at 280 Buena Vista Avenue in Mill Valley. For more info, call (415) 652-2474 or go to www.enzogarcia.com.
• Storytime with Christopher Smith
  Book Passage, Corte Madera
  Sunday, 11 am
  Acoustic multi-instrumentalist Smith crafts story songs that aim for the heart. He is especially popular with toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. However, all ages (including adults) love him. The Book Passage is located at 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. in Corte Madera. For more info, call (415) 927-0960 or visit their website.
• Off the Grid—Food Truck Extravaganza
  Marin Country Mart, Larkspur Landing
  Sunday, 11 am–3 pm
  Come and enjoy Off the Grid’s delicious mobile gourmet food market, every Sunday at the Marin Country Mart. Eat your way through the largest gathering of mobile food trucks in Marin, while listening to live music, and taking in the views of the bay and Mt. Tam. This is a year-round event. For more info, visit their website.
• Drop-In Art-Making: Magic Boxes
  Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco
  Sunday, 1–3 pm
  Houdini used trunks, both to store his magic possessions and as a prop for performances. Take a peek at the original trunk he used for his metamorphosis act in Houdini: Art and Magic then create your own multi-compartment box as a special keepsake. Free with museum admission (18 and under always free). CJM is located at 736 Mission Street (between 3rd and 4th Streets), San Francisco. For more info, visit their website.
• Santa and Mrs. Claus at Rancho Nicasio
  Nicasio
  Sunday from 2–4 pm
  Come and see Santa and Mrs. Claus at Rancho Nicasio restaurant before Tim Cain's Christmas sing-along. 1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio. For more info, call (415) 662-2219 or go to www.ranchonicasio.com.
• The 33rd Annual Sing-along Messiah
  Dance Palace, Point Reyes Station
  Sunday, 3 pm
  Join the Point Reyes community at this sing-along of the most glorious and exciting choral masterpiece ever written. Fun for music lovers and listeners of all ages; no experience necessary. Tickets: advanced purchase online $20 general, $18 seniors, $5 kids/teens or at the door $23 general, $21 seniors, $8 kids/teens. For more info, visit their website.
• Tim Cain's Family Christmas Sing-along
  Rancho Nicasio
  Sunday, 4–6 pm
  Tim Cain, Marin's favorite children's entertainer,  will be singing a variety of holiday songs for the whole family at Rancho Nicasio. Come dance and sing and celebrate the holiday season. 1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio. For more info, call (415) 662-2219 or vist their website.
• SingersMarin Presents ’Tis the Season… A Winter Fantasy
  Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium
  Sunday, 4 pm
  A wonderfully warm holiday tradition for Bay Area audiences, this concert is an uplifting way to celebrate with family. Join Jan Pedersen Schiff and the seven youth and adult choral ensembles of SingersMarin as they perform familiar Christmas carols, Hanukkah songs, and holiday winter standards. The Caroling Kids will lead the audience in a carol sing-along. Special visuals and lighting effects create a magical holiday show. Ticketd: $30, $25, or $20; students and children are half price. More info at www.singersmarin.org.
• Gingerbread Architecture Extravaganza (see Saturday for details).
• The Berkeley Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker (see Friday for details).
• San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker (see Friday for details).
• ZooLights 2011 at Oakland Zoo (see Friday for details).
• Fall Junior Musical: Charlotte's Web (see Friday for details).