The Bay Area might not get a blanket of snow during the holiday season, but it does offer a few other ways for you to bring in the cheer. There are plenty of activities that will make a San Franciscan embrace the holiday spirit that don’t involve sledding, building snowmen, snuggling by a fireplace, or visiting our far-flung homes where all of those activities might be more possible. Stay fresh, Minneapolis.
Window shop for a furry friend at Macy’s
SPCA has partnered with our storied retail behemoth — Macy’s — for nearly four decades, helping shoppers connect with the newest members of their family by displaying them in the windows instead of clothes or jewelry. The project has earned thousands of animal adoptions over the years, and has raised nearly hundreds of thousands more for the organization’s operational costs. So if you’re looking for a new best friend, you know where to find one.
Visit giant gingerbread houses
San Francisco hotels are doing their part to add to the magic by housing giant gingerbread and sugar buildings in their lobbies, ranging from a massive two-story one at Fairmont to the annual massive one at Westin St. Francis. Don’t eat them, but definitely fill up on sugar. There’s no better time to treat yourself to a new cavity than during the holidays.
Go ice skating in Union Square
Listen, we’ll admit: it’s no Rockefeller Center. The ice rink at Union Square is pretty cramped and full of little ones to avoid on your way toward falling on your butt. All that said, there’s little more charming this time of year in San Francisco. If that’s not your style but you still want to hit the ice, the rink at Yerba Buena is the very definition of chill. SF’s newest smooth synthetic ice experience also comes to Chase Center this year. It’s already really popular and seemingly filled up on RSVPs for its free dates. But keep an eye on its Winter Wonderland page.
Eat a fancy holiday meal
Just because many of us are home for the holidays doesn’t mean everywhere is closed. Astra at St. Regis serves both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, as does Top of the Mark. For something more intimate and unconventional, try Canela’s Christmas Eve seafood dinner, a kit available for local pickup in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood. The Christmas Eve menu at One Market also looks lovely. If you’re on here for Thanksgiving, TBI alum Clara Hogan has put together a fabulous list of turkey and other cuisine spots open Nov. 23.
View some of San Francisco’s best Christmas trees and holiday displays
So many lights, so little time. We love viewing all the beautiful colors of the winter holiday season, if not lasers and lights in general in San Francisco. Before Illuminate SF brought us the lights of the Bay Bridge and lasers across market street, we had the time-honored tradition of trees. Here are a few:
- World Tree of Hope at Grace Cathedral — Dec. 4-Jan. 5
- Macy’s Tree at Union Square — Nov. 9, 2023 — Jan. 1
- Fairmont Hotel — Nov. 25, 2023-Jan. 1
- Palace Hotel — Nov. 27-Jan. 2
- Pier 39 — Nov. 21-Jan. 7 — A 60-foot live tree with shifting light patterns and colors.
- Civic Center — Opening Dec. 6
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