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Spice Up the Humdrum

By Janis Dice

Whether observing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the winter solstice or some combination thereof, it can be easy to get into a festive rut. Try adding some spice to the season.
    On Saturday, Dec. 2, lighted boats will parade along the Stockton Channel and through the Sacramento Delta. The Delta Reflections Lighted Boat Christmas Parade begins at 5 p.m., cruising from Windmill Cove to the head of the Stockton Channel and back. (209) 477-7653.
    In Auburn, the annual Festival of Lights Parade starts at dusk on Saturday, Dec. 2, and features beautifully illuminated floats and vehicles rolling through the main streets of town; (530) 885-5616.
    The weekend of Dec. 2-3, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lodi’s Winter Wine Wander invites guests to visit participating wineries specially decorated for the holidays. For $25 per person in advance, or $35 at the door, tourists receive a complimentary wine glass and tasting; (209) 365-0621.
    For the culturally inclined, there is a wide array of offbeat events. The Sutter Creek Theatre hosts the fun and funky Christmas Jugband on Saturday, Dec 2, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance; $21 the day of show; (866) 463-8659.
    At UC Davis’ Mondavi Center, “A Scottish Christmas” comes to town on Monday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. A troupe of Celtic musicians, featuring fiddler Bonnie Rideout, presents a program of traditional Scottish carols, wassail tunes, jigs and reels; (530) 754-2787.
    The Sacramento Ballet Company’s presentation of “The Nutcracker” runs from Dec. 8 to Dec. 23. But for something a little different, try the “Wild and Wacky” benefit performance of “The Nutty Nutcracker,” where the costumes and music tend to run to bikinis and hip hop, on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. Included in the ticket price are sweet treats, complimentary champagne and sparkling beverages. Tickets are $75 for adults; $37.50 for children 12 and younger; (916) 552-5800.
    Cirque on Ice, A Holiday Extravaganza, will be presented at the Bob Hope Theatre in Stockton on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. The show creates a fantasy universe with ice skaters and circus acts. Tickets are $30-$50, plus service fees; (209) 337-1031.
    Looking for something more outdoorsy? Kirkwood Ski Resort offers dogsled rides for singles, friends and families. You can take a shuttle directly from the slopes to the meadow. It’s especially festive during the full moon; (775) 266-4720.
    For the crafty clan, head to the Charles M. Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa, which honors the late creator of the “Peanuts” cartoon strip. Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors can create winter-theme snow globes. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16-17, workshops invite visitors to construct Snoopy’s doghouse using gingerbread. Workshops are $20 for members, $35 for nonmembers; (707) 579-4452.
    Prefer to forget the traditions and start a rite of your own?
    Volunteer for the annual California Christmas Bird Counts, which are being conducted from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5. Counters are paired with teams based on their bird-identification skills. A $5 participation fee helps offset tabulating and publishing costs incurred by the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology; (760) 378-2029.
   

 Whether you’re looking for something a little different or exactly the same, here’s a smattering of events sure to please:

• It wouldn’t be Christmas without Scrooge. The Sacramento Theatre Company presents Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 6-24; (916) 4436722

• The annual Fabulous Forties Holiday Home Tour is set for Dec. 1-3. Featuring five homes in the East Sacramento neighborhood specially decorated for the holidays, the self-guided tour is $20 in advance; $30 after Dec. 1; (916) 556-5050. Dec. 6-24; (916) 443-6722.

• The California State Railroad Museum’s steam-powered Yuletide Express departs hourly between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Dec. 9-10, the train tickets include museum admission; (916) 445-6645.

• The Sutter County Museum in Yuba City celebrates Trees and Traditions Day on Sunday, Dec. 10, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring elegant hors d’oeuvres, champagne, wine, and music by the Yuba-Sutter Oratorio Society Tickets are $30; (530) 822-7141.

• Old Sacramento’s Heritage Holidays recalls the style of Christmas past with historically themed decorations, lights, carolers, gingerbread house displays, Santa’s train, sleigh bells and good old-fashioned cheer. Beginning Thanksgiving weekend and running weekends through Dec. 23; (916) 558-3912.

• For a more modern approach, try celebrating in 3-D with a viewing of “Polar Express” at the Esquire/IMAX Theatre downtown, opens Nov. 17. (916) 443-4629.

• Hanukkah starts sundown Dec. 15 and ends a week later on Dec. 22. Kick out the stops at the annual community Hanukkah celebration, Sunday, Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Radisson; (916) 486-0906.

• A Kwanzaa celebration will feature live poetry and singing, a potluck, dancing by the Sacramento Dynamite Drill and Dance Team and keynote speaker Kakwasi Somadhi speaking on one of the week-long events’ guiding principles. Jamieson Washington Collins Multipurpose Center, Dec. 27. Free; (916) 453-0190.

• The annual Cornish Christmas Celebration is held in downtown Grass Valley every Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Nov. 24 to Dec. 22. The streets close down to welcome carolers, jugglers, musicians, the Grass Valley Cornish Carol Choir, Tommyknocker Cloggers and Santa; (530) 272-8315.

• A few miles north in Nevada City, Victorian Christmas arrives on Wednesday nights, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, from 6-9 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 17, from 1:30-6 p.m. Admission, parking and shuttle service are free; (800) 655-6569.

• You can take a self-guided driving tour of remarkable homes in Loomis, Los Lagos and Granite Bay on Sat, Dec. 9. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Tour benefits Junior Achievement of Sacramento; (916) 631-1010.

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