If there's one guy who knows how to make an entrance, it's Santa. This year, he's letting the reindeer take a break as he arrives by tractor, boat, train — even helicopter!
Now through December 26, Napa Valley Wine Train: All aboard the Santa Train for a magical one-hour ride to the North Pole of the North Bay. Trains depart at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on numerous dates throughout December. winetrain.com/events/santa-train. (Courtesy photo)
Aboard the train, Santa and his helpers will be playing games and leading sing-alongs in between hot cocoa and cookies. (Courtesy photo)
Riders on the Santa Train are encouraged to bring a canned or boxed food item to donate to the Napa Valley Food Bank. The Wine Train is also donating 100 tickets to local foster children through the Napa County Family & Foster Parent Association. (Courtesy photo)
Friday, December 6, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Cloverdale Winter Festival & Tree Lighting: Head to the Paseo in downtown Cloverdale to kick off the weekend with Father Christmas. Santa is set to arrive at 5 p.m.. The holiday tree will be lit an hour later. Downtown businesses will be open late; there will be music, food, and artisans. cloverdalechamber.com
Saturday, December 7, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Light Up The Holidays at Cornerstone Sonoma: Santa has a date with hundreds of decorative snowmen at Cornerstone Sonoma. Now in its 15th year, the snowmen create a holiday scene at Cornerstone Sonoma. The lighting is expected to take place around 6pm. cornerstonesonoma.com.
Admission to the Lighting of the Snowmen event is free, but a portion of proceeds from participating vendors, like The Fig Rig and TIPS Roadside’s Tri Tip Trolley, will be donated to Meals on Wheels. Cornerstone Sonoma is also a Toys for Tots drop off location. (Alvin Jornada)
Dylan McCrum, his wife, Katie, and son Elliot, 19-months old, visit the holiday display of lighted snowmen and red umbrellas at Cornerstone Sonoma on Tuesday, December 8. (Beth Schlanker)
Saturday, December 7, 7:00 pm, 24th Annual Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade: Come rain, shine or snow, this small-town holiday celebration rolls down Lincoln Avenue. With true Calistoga flair you can expect both vintage and modern tractors, antique trucks, and construction equipment decked out with thousands of sparkling lights. Come to town early to grab a drink or bite to eat, and a spot on the curb. visitcalistoga.com.
Sunday, December 8, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Santa’s 9th Annual Visit to Nick’s Cove: Santa is making his way to Marin by boat. Kids, kids-at-heart and pets are all welcome to take complimentary photos with the jolly guy himself in the property’s scenic Boat Shack. Nick’s Cove is donating 10 percent of restaurant sales from the festive day to the Marin Food Bank. nickscove.com
Santa arrives at Nick's Cove. (Photo by Erin Wrightsman)
Pet photos with Santa at Nick's Cove. (Courtesy photo)
Saturday, December 14, 9 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., Breakfast with Santa in Cotati: The most important meal of the day gets even better when you have Santa to keep you company! Along with pancakes and hot cocoa, there will be arts and crafts, and every child gets a gift from Santa. cotaticity.org. (Courtesy photo)
Breakfast with Santa in Cotati is $12 per person over age 2. Register early to avoid disappointment. (Courtesy photo)
Saturday, December 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Santa Fly-In at the Pacific Coast Air Museum: Mrs. Claus will be along for the helicopter ride to Santa Rosa’s Pacific Coast Air Museum. The couple’s expected arrival is around 11 a.m.. While kids are waiting, there will be “open cockpit” planes they can climb aboard. pacificcoastairmuseum.org. (John Burgess)
Santa and Mrs. Claus greet the crowds of kids and parents after they flew into the Pacific Coast Air Museum on Saturday in a helicopter. (John Burgess)
Santa will listen to countless Christmas wishlists at the Pacific Coast Air Museum. (John Burgess)
Saturday, December 14, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Santa Claus at MacArthur Place: Santa will be checking out Sonoma’s newly renovated MacArthur Place. He will be taking pictures and listening to wishlists in the lobby. Along with Santa’s visit, locals and visitors are invited to a number of holiday events in December. macarthurplace.com. (Courtesy photo)
If there’s one guy who knows how to make an entrance, it’s Santa. Whether it’s stealth-style through a chimney or via a reindeer-pulled flying sleigh, his arrival never fails to impress. In Wine Country, he takes it up a notch with different modes of transportation: tractor, boat, train — even helicopter! Click through the gallery to find out where to see Santa in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties this December. Let us know in the comments if we missed (a public) appearance.
