Christmas will be here before you know it and about two full weeks of holiday break for the kids. By now, you're probably looking for ways to keep the kids busy. Fortunately, the holiday season in Bay Area is an amazing time for all ages. No shortage of great options!

Friday, December 19

Sing and Dance with Miss Kitty, 10:30am, ages 8 and under, San Rafael Library.

Gingerbread House Workshop, 3-4:40pm, Registration is required. Stop by the Children’s Desk or call 415-506-3168, South Novato Library.

The Nutcracker: a Puppet show, 3:30pm, ages 4+, space is limited and reservations are REQUIRED. Please RSVP to library@cityoflarkspur.org or 927-5005, Larkspur Library.

Punch and Judy, 3:30pm & 5pm, also enjoy making orange pomeranders for the holiday tree, The Poppy Store, Marin County Mart, Larkspur.

A Christmas Carol, Drake Little Theater, 1327 Sir Francis Drake, San Anselmo.

Christmas Circus, 6-7:15pm, Le Petit Cirque de Noël performs the Magic Box show, Marin County Mart, Larkspur.

Dickens Christmas Fair, Cow Palace, San Francisco.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Live Family Concert with the San Francisco Symphony, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

Handel's Messiah, 8pm, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

The Christmas Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Yerba Buena, San Francisco.

Cinderella, African-American Shakespeare Company, Buriel Clay Memorial Theatre, San Francisco.

Peter Pan, Fort Mason Center Building C, San Francisco.

Mittens and Mistletoe: A Winter Circus Cabaret, Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco.

Elf, Curran Theatre, San Francisco.

San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House.

Fairy Winterland, Children's Fairyland.

Scrooge, The Musical, Spreckles Performing Arts Center, Rohnert Park.

Posada Navideña, 7pm, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa.

Saturday, December 20

A Woodland Winter, 9:30am-12pm, Look for salmon, mushroom displays, winter wildflowers, waterfalls, and more! For information and reservations, call (415) 388-2596.

Dream Circle Holiday Concert, 10am & 11:15am, with Miss Kitty, Cindy Cohen, Tim Cain, Peter Penhallow, Christopher Smith, CC Dawson and Richard Mithun, Bay Area Discovery Museum.

Christmas Adventure on Angel Island, see website for details.

STEAM Saturdays, 11-11:45am, ages 3-6, stories, rhymes, songs, crafts, experiments, and sensory experiences, The Winter Solstice, San Rafael Library.

Christmas celebration with José-Luis Orozco, 11:30am-2pm, bilingual celebration of Christmas with stories, art projects or kids and a free musical concert with singer José-Luis Orozco, Pickleweed Library, San Rafael.

Surprise & Delight, 12-2pm, Captain Hook & Tinkerbell, Village at Corte Madera.

Mt. Tam History Walk, 1:30pm, Enjoy spectacular, panoramic views and learn about the fascinating history of Mt. Tam on a 0.7-mile walk on the Verna Dunshee trail, hosted by the Friends of Mt. Tam. 

Toddler Dance Party, 10:30-11:30am, Sausalito Library.

Rue Manouch performs French Christmas Music, Marin County Mart, Larkspur.

A Christmas Carol, Drake Little Theater, 1327 Sir Francis Drake, San Anselmo.

Marin Dance Theatre: Sophie and the Enchanted Toyshop, 1pm, 3pm and 5:30pm, Marin Civic Center, San Rafael.

Dickens Christmas Fair, Cow Palace, San Francisco.

Frozen Sing-a-Long, 11am & 2pm, Creativity Museum, San Francisco.

Birding Solstice Walk, 10am-1pm, Did you know that El Polín Spring in the Presidio is a birding hotspot in the Bay Area? Join a one hour walk counting bird life, then enjoy a presentation of the day’s count by kids. El Polín Spring, San Francisco.

Explorables, 11am-2pm, three activities with whirligigs, light boxes, and anamorphic mirrorsExploratorium, San Francisco.

Creative Family Fun, 10am-3pm, ages 5-12, fly a kite, imaginative craft-making based on the Presidio’s natural and cultural heritage, Presidio Officers Club, San Francisco.

Winter Solstice Hike, 5-6:30pm, family friendly evening walk, Rob Hill Campground, San Francisco.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Live Family Concert with the San Francisco Symphony, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

Handel's Messiah, 8pm, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

The Christmas Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Yerba Buena, San Francisco.

Cinderella, African-American Shakespeare Company, Buriel Clay Memorial Theatre, San Francisco.

Peter Pan, Fort Mason Center Building C, San Francisco.

Mittens and Mistletoe: A Winter Circus Cabaret, Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco.

Elf, Curran Theatre, San Francisco.

Ozokidz, 3pm, Fillmore, San Francisco.

Holiday Gift Making, 1-4pm, Make a variety of hand-made holiday gifts including fleece scarves, snowball soap, and several special ornaments, Schultz Museum, Santa Rosa.

KPFA Crafts Fair, Craneway Pavillon, Richmond Marina.

Scrooge, The Musical, Spreckles Performing Arts Center, Rohnert Park.

A Winter Circus for the Holidays, 1pm & 3pm, CornerStone, Sonoma.

Fairy Winterland, Children's Fairyland.

NUTCRACKERS

Dance with Sherry Studio’s Tapcracker, Marin Civic Center, San Rafael

San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House.

Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker, 3pm & 7pm, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa

Alameda Nutcracker, 2pm, Kofman Auditorium, 2200 Central Ave., Alameda

Berkeley City Ballet, 1pm & 5pm, Smith Center Ohlone College, Fremont

Oakland Ballet Nutcracker, Paramount Theatre of the Arts, Oakland

Sunday, December 21, Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice Celebration, 8am-5pm, Celebrate the shortest day of the year with a visit to Muir Woods Wonderland! Weave a solstice crown, hear stories from John Muir, and listen to the sounds of the woods.

Bolinas & Beyond Holiday Fair, Bolinas Community Center.

Surprise & Delight, 12-2pm, balloon making elf, Village at Corte Madera.

Christmas Adventure on Angel Island, see website for details.

Holiday Event, Meet Mr. & Mrs. Claus 3pm, Tim Cain Christmas sing along at 4pm, Rancho Nicasio.

Gingerbread House Workshop, 3-4:40pm, Registration is required. Stop by the Children’s Desk or call 415-473-205, Novato Library.

Sing Along Messiah, 3pm, Dance Palace, Pint Reyes Station.

It's a Wonderful Life, 4:15pm & 7pm, Rafael Film Center, San Rafael.

Rue Manouch performs French Christmas Music, Marin County Mart, Larkspur.

Singers Marin Presents 'Tis the Season....Cheers! 4pm, Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael.

A Christmas Carol, Drake Little Theater, 1327 Sir Francis Drake, San Anselmo.

Dickens Christmas Fair, Cow Palace, San Francisco.

Children Story Time, 10:30am, age 4-8, Deep Roots: Families in the Garden, San Francisco Botanical Garden.

Creative Family Fun, 10am-3pm, ages 5-12, fly a kite, imaginative craft-making based on the Presidio’s natural and cultural heritage, Presidio Officers Club, San Francisco.

Puppet Shows with Jen Miriam Altman, 11:30am-12:30pm, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Live Family Concert with the San Francisco Symphony, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

Mittens and Mistletoe: A Winter Circus Cabaret, Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco.

Elf, Curran Theatre, San Francisco.

The Christmas Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Yerba Buena, San Francisco.

Cinderella, African-American Shakespeare Company, Buriel Clay Memorial Theatre, San Francisco.

Peter Pan, Fort Mason Center Building C, San Francisco.

Scrooge, The Musical, Spreckles Performing Arts Center, Rohnert Park.

Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show, 8pm, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa.

Northern California Chanukah Festival, face painting, music, menorah lighting, Six Flags, Vallejo.

A Winter Circus for the Holidays, 1pm & 3pm, CornerStone, Sonoma.

Fairy Winterland, Children's Fairyland.

NUTCRACKERS

Miss Sara, The Story of the Nutcracker, 11am & 2pm, perfect for the very young, Showcase Theatre, San Rafael.

San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House.

Alameda Nutcracker, 2pm, Kofman Auditorium, 2200 Central Ave., Alameda

Berkeley City Ballet, 1pm & 5pm, Smith Center Ohlone College, Fremont

Oakland Ballet Nutcracker, Paramount Theatre of the Arts, Oakland