Holiday Lights, Festivals And Celebrations Fill The Healdsburg Calendar

HEALDSBURG — With Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa festivities filling the December calendar, the problem may be deciding which events in Healdsburg to attend.

Outside these religious and cultural celebrations, there are plenty of holiday light shows, tractor parades, fairs, bazaars, and festivals to attend in and around Healdsburg. Here are some to consider:

• Friday, Dec. 5, 5-9 p.m.: Merry Healdsburg Tree Lighting Celebration at Healdsburg Plaza. In addition to complementary photos with Santa, this winter wonderland features horse-drawn carriage rides, performances by The Healdsburg Chorus and The Superplums, holiday crafts, a holiday night market and more at Matheson Street and Healdsburg Avenue.
• Dec. 6-7, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: Holiday Bazaar at Bacchus Landing
  Bacchus Landing’s Holiday Bazaar brings together local artisans, gourmet food vendors, and award-winning wineries in a festive marketplace setting. Guests can shop for handcrafted gifts and holiday décor, enjoy seasonal treats, and experience wine tastings from Bacchus Landing’s collection of wineries. With live music and a welcoming atmosphere, the Bazaar offers a relaxed way to celebrate the season while finding unique holiday treasures.
• Dec. 6, 4p.m.-7 p.m.: Holiday Sip & Shop sponsored by the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce. Taste your way through 20 shopping and wine tasting stops, plus a dinner ticket for Costeaux French Bakery, Iggy’s Organic Burgers, or KIN Smoke. Start the evening at Craftwork Healdsburg. Tickets are $55.
• Dec. 6, 4p.m.-7 p.m.: The Graton Holiday Lights and Tractor Parade
  An evening of festive fun — complete with a tractor parade, cookie exchange, live music by the Hubbub Club, wreath-making, local food vendors and a tree lighting under the twinkling holiday lights.
• Dec. 7, 11.a.m.: Menorah Making Workshop
  The Chabad Jewish Center will lead a menorah making workshop at The Home Depot in Santa Rosa (100 Bicentennial Way). Enjoy Hanukkah treats while making a menorah. Free event with RSVP.
• Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m.: The Klezmatics Happy Joyous Hanukkah
  As candles are lit across the country, The Klezmatics — the celebrated klezmer band — return with to the Raven Performing Arts Theater with their beloved Happy Joyous Hanukkah Tour, honoring both Jewish tradition and bold musical reinvention.

• Dec. 13/14, 3 p.m.: Joy For The World - Healdsburg Winter Concerts
  The Healdsburg Chorus will be joined by local musicians under the direction of David Martin, with Beth Benjamin on piano, for a heartwarming and festive musical experience at the Raven Performing Arts Theater.

• Dec. 13, 6 p.m.: Petaluma Lighted Boat Parade
  See Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive on the Petaluma River. Watch the glowing boats of all sizes and types go down the Petaluma River, ushering in the holiday season! Vessels of all sizes including power, sail, and people-powered are welcome to join the Petaluma Yacht Club’s flotilla. The parade leaves the Petaluma Marina at 5:30 p.m. and arrives at the Turning Basin around 6 p.m. There is no fee to attend and no reservations necessary.

• Dec. 16, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.: Community Posada & Celebration of Hanukkah
  Celebrate on the Healdsburg Plaza traditions from Mexican and Jewish cultures including food, music, and gifts. Follow a traditional Las Posadas procession through the downtown area. Learn about the significance of Hanukkah to the Jewish community, and enjoy traditional foods like pozole, tamales, latkes, sufganiyot, and gilt. Enjoy music performances and catch the North Bay car clubs, who will be giving presents to children.

• Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.: Holiday Lights and Parisian Nights
  The Santa Rosa Junior College Bands play Le Hot Club Swing at the Holiday Lights and Parisian Nights show hosted at the Burbank Auditorium on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus.

• Dec. 20, 5:30 p.m.: The Golden Girls Who Stole Christmas Bingo
  The Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence present a night of fun, fundraising and frivolity. Come to Bingo dressed in a costume related to the theme and participate in the costume contest for fabulous prizes. Proceeds go to the Paws for Love Foundation and The Sebastopol Senior Center. Paws for Love Foundation is home to the “Silver Paws for Love” Senior-to-Senior adoption program. They will use the funds raised to match seniors with senior pet compaions. The Sebastopol Senior Center will use the funds will benefit our Free Rides Program which is a lifeline for seniors in West Sonoma County. We provide essential transportation services that foster social connection and promote healthy aging. 18+ only.

And don't forget the Ugly Sweater Sundays:

Spoonbar in Healdsburg, Dec. 7 and 21.

Break out your most delightfully questionable holiday knit and join us for Ugly Sweater Sundays at Spoonbar. Every guest in their Christmas best—whether at the bar or in the dining room—gets a complimentary holiday aperitif taste to kick off the night. Snap a picture of your festively bold look during dinner, tag @spoonbarhealdsburg, and use #SeasonToSparkle. Spoonbar's favorite fashionable (or fabulously tacky) sweater of the season will win a $100 Piazza hospitality gift card in January.

The Ugly Xmas Sweater Party at Maison Healdsburg on Dec. 21 begins 5pm and ends...late.

Discounts and specials for anyone dressed in an ugly Xmas sweater. 30% off bottles under $300, BTG specials. The motto: "Let’s get weird."

Here is a list of other local events.

• Thursday, Dec. 4, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.: Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce's annual Holiday Tree Lighting celebration featuring Santa Claus, holiday trivia and cartoons on the big screen; music, ballet, Peacetown's Love Choir, hot cocoa and cider, a goat petting station, and more.
• Friday, Dec. 5 p.m.-8 p.m.: The Cloverdale winter festival and tree lighting celebration, including visits and photos with Santa, candlelit holiday shopping stroll, music and food, hot cocoa and holiday treats, and local non-profit and vendor stalls.
• Saturday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m-4 p.m..: Photos with Santa or with Krampus, as well as Tarot Card Readings with Kay, Create a Snow Globe with California Brick Chicks, are among the activities for children and their grown-ups at the Penngrove Winter Fest (check the website for specific times).
• Saturday, Dec. 6, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.: An evening of painting while sipping on drinks and celebrating the holiday season with a Nutcracker Paint Night in Windsor at Mutt Lynch.
• Saturday, Dec. 6, 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m.: Cloverdale’s Claus for a Cause, an evening of photos with Santa, hot cocoa, candy canes, elves, and festive fun. A $5 suggested donation helps support Cloverdale’s Annual Christmas Gift Program and brings holiday cheer to local youth.
• Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: Celebrate the season in downtown Petaluma’s Kentucky Street during the Holiday Shopping Stroll with pictures with Santa while wandering through festively decorated shops and passages, discovering one-of-a-kind gifts, and enjoying holiday treats, cheerful libations, live music, and extended store hours. All activities will take place inside participating businesses. Whether you’re shopping for loved ones, or simply soaking in the holiday spirit, there’s something fun on every corner.

As you plan your calendar, here are some key dates to consider:

• Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods, begins at sundown on Dec. 14 and continues until sundown on Dec. 22. The dates vary every year.

• Christmas, of course, is always Dec. 25.

• Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration primarily held in the United States to honor African heritage and African-American culture, is observed from Dec. 26-Jan. 1, culminating with gift-giving and a lavish feast. The dates of this holiday do not change.

Read: Where to see Santa this Christmas in Healdsburg...