Catch loads of holiday performances, get crafty, shop the Yule Midwinter Market, and examine A Christmas Carol with a UC Berkeley professor
Our local events calendar [1] is bursting at the seams with holiday activities! On Thursday, December 11 and Thursday, December 18, liven up your local gift shopping with Caroling With the Foodbank Players and Friends [2] on Park Street. The local theater troupe continues their seasonal goodwill with performances of A Christmas Carol through December 21. For additional festive performances, check out the Alameda Community Band Holiday Concert [3] on Friday, December 12 and the Alameda Sings! Winter Concert [4] on Saturday, December 13.
If you’re having trouble finding the perfect gift for a loved one or yourself, grab a festive drink and peruse the Yule Midwinter Market [5] on Saturday, December 13. Craft-lovers may be simultaneously thrilled and dismayed to learn that there are three holiday craft classes this week—and they all overlap on Sunday, December 14. Make a miniature wonderland at Tiny Winter Worlds: Terrarium Making Party [6], get in the kitchen at Bavarian Holiday Cookie Class [7], and get ready to design the perfect holiday decor and cards at Modern Calligraphy & Ornament Lettering Class for Beginners [8]. And for an academic adventure, grab a brew and check the latest Profs & Pints® lecture, Dickens’s Christmas Myth [9].
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Local Holiday Concerts
Thursday, December 11 through Saturday, December 13, and Thursday, December 18
Get into the spirit of the season with plenty of live music, familiar carols, dancing, and sing-alongs! Here are three ways to get involved with awesome local organizations:
- Caroling with the Foodbank Players and Friends [2] | Join the Foodbank Players on Thursday, December 11 and Thursday, December 18 from 6:30 until 7:30 p.m. as they roam Park Street spreading holiday cheer. Shoppers are encouraged to join in and sing along.
- Alameda Community Band Holiday Concert [3] | There’s nothing quite like a beautiful live band performance of classic holiday music. Join the Alameda Community Band for their free concert on Friday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mastick Senior Center, 1155 Santa Clara Avenue. There will be holiday classics and a sing-along.
- Alameda Sings! Winter Concert [4] | The voices of the Alameda Sings! community chorus will present their winter concert, “Stories of Winter” on Saturday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Veterans Hall Memorial Building, 2203 Central Avenue. Get ready for special guest performances by the Bay Area Music Project Children’s Chorus and the famous Tap Dancing Christmas Trees. A suggested donation of $10 is appreciated.
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The Foodbank Players present A Christmas Carol
Friday, December 12 through Sunday, December 21
Get nostalgic this holiday season with The Foodbank Players’ annual production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol [12], at First Congregational Church, 1912 Central Avenue. On Friday and Saturday, December 12 and 13, the play starts at 7 p.m. A matinee performance will take place on Sunday, December 14, at 4 p.m.
This holiday classic is open to all ages, and admission is free. Donations to the Alameda Food Bank are gratefully accepted. Please note that seating is first come, first served.
If you can’t make it this weekend, you’ll have three more chances. A Christmas Carol takes the stage again on December 19 and 20 at 7 p.m., as well as on December 21 at 4 p.m. See more information on The Foodbank Players’ website [12].
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Yule Midwinter Market
Saturday, December 13
Celebrate the changing seasons with Feathered Outlaw at their annual Yule Midwinter Market [5] on Saturday, December 13, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The festivities will take place at Webster Park, 1435 Webster Street, and along Webster Street between Taylor and Haight avenues.
Grab a holiday mocktail or a cup of hot chocolate and browse the many witchy vendors and booths. A curated selection of 50+ artisans, healers, and makers will be selling their wares. Kids and pets are welcome to take a photo with Santa, with proceeds benefitting Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter.
Although it’s often referenced in combination with the Christmas season, Yule is a separate holiday that predates Christianity. “Celebrated largely by the Norse people in northern Europe, many of the old Yule traditions have become Christmas traditions today,” writes Rittika Dhar for History Cooperative [14]. Yule [15] marks the return of light as the days get longer following the Winter Solstice.
Entry to this family-friendly event is free. RSVP online [16] for a chance to win a Yule Gift Basket.
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Local Holiday Craft Classes
Sunday, December 14
Let’s get crafty this weekend! There are three awesome holiday-themed crafting classes on Sunday, December 14 right here on the island.
- Tiny Winter Worlds: Terrarium Making Party | Head over to Faction Brewing, 2501 Monarch Street, to make your own miniature winter wonderland in a terrarium. All materials are provided, and beginners are welcome. Reserve your spot in advance [6] for the 2 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. classes. Tickets are $33.85.
- Bavarian Holiday Cookie Class | Learn to make delicious treats with Dahoam1516 [18], a nonprofit school and social club, at their special Bavarian cookie class from 2 until 5:30 p.m. The hands-on, beginner-friendly class will showcase traditional recipes, and everyone will go home with cookies. The club is located at 1516 Lincoln Avenue, and the garden gate will open 10 minutes before class. Tickets range from $25 to $35, with optional add-ons. Reserve a spot and read more online [7].
- Modern Calligraphy & Ornament Lettering Class for Beginners | Join Sip & Script® for a relaxing afternoon of calligraphy at Alameda Brewing, 1716 Park Street, from 3:30 until 5 p.m. Participants will receive a beginner’s calligraphy kit, instruction and demonstration, and writing materials. This class is designed for students who have never taken a calligraphy class before—and lefties are welcome! Tickets [8] are $75 per person.
[19]Profs & Pints®: Dickens’s Christmas Myth
Monday, December 15
Since Charles Dickens sent the story for publication in 1843, A Christmas Carol has achieved incredible success with lots of staying power. Dive into the now-ubiquitous holiday tale [9] with Profs & Pints® on Monday, December 15, at Faction Brewing, 2501 Monarch Street. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the event starts at 6:30 p.m.
“What is it about Dickens’s tale that keeps it so alive, so fertile?” asks Ian Duncan, professor of English at the University of California Berkeley. Professor Duncan will examine the author, iconic story characters, and larger social and anthropological themes that have supported A Christmas Carol’s long-lasting success and resonance.
Tickets are available for advance purchase online [9] for $14.77 plus a processing fee, or may be purchased at the door for $17, or $15 for students with a student ID. This lecture is presented by Profs & Pints® [20], an organization with a mission to bring “college faculty members into bars, cafés, company offices, and other off-campus venues to share their knowledge.”
What else is going on in Alameda?
All these events and more, in Alameda and beyond, are always posted on our online Events Calendar [21]. Post yours, too, for free!
Amanda Laird is the Content Manager and Events Editor of the Alameda Post [22]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Amanda-Laird [23]. Reach her at [email protected] [24].