Christmas trees at a tree lot at night. Courtesy Getty Images.
Whether you’re looking to enjoy holiday light displays, shop for holly and Christmas trees, hone your interior design skills or explore the Santa Cruz Mountains in winter, you’ll find plenty of opportunities. Check out our December home & garden events calendar.
Home-delivered holiday trees
The following Peninsula Christmas tree lots offer home-delivery and set up services.
Santa’s Village at Webb Ranch
10 a.m. – 6 p.m., daily, now – until trees are sold out | Webb Ranch, 2718 Alpine Road, Portola Valley| More information
Santa’s Village at the family-operated Webb Ranch is a holiday tradition spanning more than six decades along the Peninsula. Every year, the 300-acre working ranch transforms into a holiday wonderland offering Christmas trees, garland, wreaths, lights, decorations, poinsettias, gifts, ornaments and more for sale. The trees, which are grown in Oregon and Washington and brought down to the ranch, are available for home delivery – arranged at the time of purchase. Reservations are required to visit Santa’s Village on weekends.
Sea Scout Christmas Tree Lot
11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday-Friday & 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, now – until trees are sold out | 3672 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto | More information
The Sea Scout Christmas Tree Lot provides residents an opportunity to buy a tree and support a local cause at the same time. Operated by volunteers, the tree lot is the biggest annual fundraiser for the Sea Scouts, a program of the Boy Scouts of America that offers maritime and life skills training. Funds from tree sales support local Scouting programs The lot offers a variety of tree types and sizes, wreaths and garland. Once you visit the lot and select your tree, the Sea Scouts will deliver it and set it up in your home for an additional fee.
Spartans Tree Lot
4:30 – 7:30 p.m., Monday-Friday & 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday-Sunday | Mountain View High School, 3535 Truman Ave.,Mountain View | More information and online store
Those who prefer to shop from home can order a Christmas tree for delivery online from the Spartans Tree Lot. The lot, which benefits Mountain View High School Athletics, offers premium, top-quality Noble Firs, Nordmann Firs, and Douglas Firs trees ranging in size from 3 feet to 9 feet. The lot also offers holiday decorations and supplies, such as hand-crafted reindeer, snowmen and wreaths. Trees can be purchased online or in-person. Home delivery is free and available within a 5 mile radius of the high school in the cities of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale and Cupertino.
Gamble Garden, shown here in December 2022, will kick off its annual winter festival on Dec. 4. Courtesy Ana Picazo.
Winter Festival at Gamble Garden
Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 4-6 | Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto | Tickets and information
The historic estate and garden hosts a three-day Winter Festival that includes a grand opening party Dec. 4, a tree-lighting ceremony, a special holiday night with Santa (Dec. 5); a holiday ballet performance; crafts for kids; holiday teas, music and a festive marketplace featuring vendors and local artisans.
During December, Gamble Garden will also host holiday luncheons and a tour of the home and its gardens.
Winter Festival times vary; luncheons are held Dec. 9-11, noon-2 p.m.; wreath workshops Dec. 11, 6-8 p.m.; house and garden tour Dec. 16, 1:30 p.m.
A group of visitors walks past a higher-than-normal sea level that nearly reaches the road at the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve during a past king tide walk. Embarcadero Media file photo.
King tides return to the Baylands
The Palo Alto Baylands offer one of the best vantage points to experience the season’s king tides, arriving Dec. 4–6. These extreme high and low tides occur only a few days each winter when the Earth, sun and moon align, amplifying the ocean’s gravitational pull. Water levels can surge above 9 feet — roughly 2 feet higher than average — flooding low-lying areas of the Baylands. The dramatic shift in water also flushes out wildlife, giving visitors a rare chance to spot elusive marsh birds.
Here are two opportunities to learn more and observe the tides up close:
Ravenswood Preserve
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sat., Dec. 6 | Ravenswood Preserve, Bay Road, East Palo Alto| Free | More information
Learn about tides and rails (a type of bird) while sitting near the salt marsh during this 0.5 mile walk at Ravenswood Preserve with docent naturalists Karen DeMello, Kay Partelow and Cathy Brown. This will be a very short out-and-back, leisurely paced stroll along the Bay Trail with a focus on observation and discussion for adults and interested children. To be comfortable, bring something to sit on a blanket for warmth and binoculars, if you have them. Meet at the preserve parking lot on Bay Road.
EcoCenter
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6 | Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter, 2560 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto | More information Environmental Volunteers staff will lead a fun, interactive learning experience at the Baylands to teach participants about king tides and why they are so exciting. All ages are welcome. Be prepared to get a little wet while exploring the Baylands.
Every year, Woodside’s Filoli estate is decked out in lights and decor for the holidays. Photo courtesy Filoli.
Holidays at Filoli
10 a.m. – 9 p.m., daily, now – Jan. 11 | Filoli Historic House & Garden, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside | Tickets required. Prices vary.
Celebrate the holiday season at the historic Filoli estate. Holidays at Filoli transforms the historic estate into a wonderland of breathtaking beauty and festive delight. Day and night, there’s something magical for everyone at Filoli. During the day, take a gilded journey through the elegantly decorated house and garden and explore Thistlewyck, an enchanting village in the Redwoods. At night, immerse yourself in the glowing wonder of Holiday Lights.See Filoli’s calendar of holiday events.
Closeup of chestnuts in a broken spiky shell on a tree branch. Photo courtesy Getty Images.
‘Merry Berries and Nuts’
10 a.m.-noon, Tuesday, Dec. 16 | Windy Hill Preserve, Portola Valle y| Free | More information
‘Tis the season to learn about the winter’s natural gifts: berries and nuts found growing wild in your local habitats. Join docent naturalists Olga and Tony Bright, Mallik K. and Annie Guo on this leisurely paced 2-mile hike during which you’ll explore around Sausal Pond on the Spring Ridge and Betsy Crowder trails, looking for these fruits and considering the various ways they’ve been used in human cultures. (Note: Foraging is prohibited on protected lands; this activity is for fun only.)
Meet at the lower Windy Hill parking area on Portola Road.
Learn how to transform plain living spaces into beautiful and functional rooms during a six-week interior design course offered by Palo Alto Adult School. Photo courtesy Getty Images.
Introduction to interior design
Wednesday, Dec. 17 | Palo Alto Adult School, online | $144 enrollment fee. Registration and more information.
Learn how to transform plain living spaces into beautiful and functional rooms during this six-week course that guides participants through the interior design process from start to finish: Participants will learn You will start by defining key terms and concepts in interior design and how to effectively apply design elements and principles to create residential design plans. The class also covers historical design features that influence contemporary projects.
Interior designer Sara Smallwood, whose work includes everything from designing for residential homes to large international hospitality chains (such as Marriott International), will lead this course. Participants can choose to either enroll in the instructor-led course or the self-paced course, which offers multiple start dates. Registration begins Dec. 5.
A selection of succulents, holiday center pieces and other plants will be available to purchase during UCMater Gardeners’ holiday plant sale. Photo courtesy Getty Images.
Last-minute holiday succulent sale
9 a.m.- noon., Saturday, Dec. 20 | Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave., San Jose | Free | More information
UC Master Gardeners will be holding a holiday succulent sale with arrangements and gifts for last-minute holiday giving. Visitors can pick out holiday gifts or treat themselves to succulents, table arrangements, California native plants and a selection of other plants.
Most Popular
Comments are closed.