Eight More Great Bay Area Holiday Activities

We had so much fun compiling our last holiday activity list that we’re back with a second installment. This time, we’ve got 8 events to share with you. Over the next few weeks, you can screenprint festive t-shirts for free, watch a classic Jim Henson Christmas film, participate in a dreidel spin-off, and celebrate the solstice on the beach. Living in the Bay Area is tough.

Watch dark Christmas films at the Castro Theatre’s Noir City Xmas, Dec. 14, 7:30-11pm
Sometimes we need a brief respite from holiday cheer — a decent antidote to tinsel and bells. Maybe…red-and-green in black-and-white? Yes. Noir Christmas movies. The Castro describes the 1944 noir film Christmas Holiday with Gene Kelly as “unquestionably the most romantically soul-crushing Christmas movie ever made.” This is a double feature — you’ll also see Deanna Durbin witness a murder in Lady on a Train. (Castro Theatre, San Francisco)

Watch a Jim Henson Christmas Classic at YBCA’s From Muppets to Metal film series, Dec. 15, 7:30pm and Dec. 18, 2pm
I hope you’ve all seen the new Muppets film by now. It’s awesome — although my favorite muppet, Rolf, totally deserved more screen time. If your favorite muppet is Kermit (typical), you should also go see Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas at YBCA, because it includes all the Kermit scenes deleted from the DVD. A hard rock band competes in a talent contest against sweet Ma Otter and her son, who are secretly trying to score the cash prize to buy each other Christmas presents. You probably won’t be rooting for the hard rock band. (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco)

Screenprint a Santa t-shirt at Anthem Screen Printing’s Holiday Printing Party, Dec. 17, 8pm-12am
Wow, Anthem says you can print as many t-shirts as you want at this event. That’s a dangerous proposition, considering the many San Francisco dudes I know with t-shirt-only wardrobes. So don’t go too wild, but this should be fun: 6 holiday designs to choose from, $5 a shirt (or bring your own), free snacks and cheap drinks. And Santa will be there for photos, of course. (Anthem Screen Printing, San Francisco)

Participate in an ancient solstice ritual with the Reclaiming Collective, Dec. 20, 4pm
If you’ve ever caught a whiff of burning fir tree resin on Ocean Beach in January, you know about this city’s Yule tree bonfires. But if your tree is tiny, silver and fake like mine, you’re going to need to find a different Ocean Beach tradition to ring in the new year. Here’s one to respectfully consider. The Reclaiming Collective will celebrate the longest night of the year by gathering on the beach to build a bonfire and perform an ancient solstice ritual. There will be dancing, honoring of the darkness, and burning of old journals (I know I’d have a few to contribute — ahh, middle school). Scroll about halfway down this page to the Solstice Eve listing. (Ocean Beach, San Francisco)

Make Hanukkah-Houdini inspired crafts at the RitLab workshop at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Dec. 22, 6-8pm
OK, so you won’t learn how to escape from a straitjacket while suspended from a crane by your ankles, but you can learn to make a magic card wallet and a thaumatrope! And if you’re feeling competitive, you can join the much-anticipated (by me) dreidel spin-off. You’ll also get to hear the local Leonard Cohen a capella group Conspiracy of Beards perform some Hanukkah tunes. (Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco)

Experience indoor snow at the Hyatt Regency, ongoing through Dec. 31 at 1pm, 5pm, and 7pm
Yep. Snow falling inside a hotel lobby. I don’t have the cash to buy a ski lift pass this year, so I hope there’s enough ground cover to practice my pizza-wedge ski stance — this could be my ticket off the bunny hill. I do have some questions about this one. First, is the snow real? If so, does the Hyatt have a snow-making machine? Does the hotel warn people sitting in the snow’s trajectory before they get snowed on? Would that be a frightening surprise or a pleasant one? The concierge is going to be really happy to see me. (Hyatt Regency, San Francisco)

Go see the LEGO Holiday Display at the Museum of American Heritage, ongoing through Jan. 15
When I was busy officiating marriages between LEGO people and stuffed animals, some kids were actually learning to use the blocks properly. Now those focused kids have become super-skilled adults who can replicate Bay Area landmarks out of LEGOs. And you can go see what they’ve made! No hitting. (Museum of American Heritage, Palo Alto)

Start 2012 with a bunch of comedians at Not Your Normal New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 8pm
This event features 6 comedy routines, music by the Foxtails Brigade, and lots and lots of oversized balloons. It’s described on the website as being “like Pop Rocks Candy, but in your brain,” and it looks like they’ve temporarily renamed Herbst Theatre “Swanky Town.” You can even consult their list of pre-show restaurants (Insult Your Date recommendation: McDonalds). (Herbst Theatre, San Francisco)