Christmas Past
It can feel wonderful to put aside contemporary holiday stress, suspend disbelief, and step into Christmas Past. Here are a few suggested Bay Area holiday shows where you can visit a simpler time.

Christmas at Ardenwood
A Victorian-style holiday! Visit the beautifully decorated Patterson House, sing Christmas carols, search for the Yule log, and visit Father Christmas. Listen to live musical performances, puppet shows and enter the home-made ‘Christmas Cookie’ baking contest. The day also includes an abundance of Christmas crafts, music, and country kitchen treats.

December 1, 2012 10 AM – December 2, 2012 4 PM
Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont
Tickets and more information here.

Great Dickens Christmas Fair
And Victorian Holiday Party
The bustling streets of London, immortalized for all time by the mighty pen of Charles Dickens, form the living backdrop of your excursion into Christmas Past. You are a living part of a Victorian Christmas card come to life!

December 2, 3, 9 and 10
10 AM ’til 7 PM.
Cow Palace, San Francisco
Tickets and more information here.

The Christmas Revels
With the skirling of pipes and the swirling of kilts, the Christmas Revels celebrates the turning of the year in Scottish style. Join the land of Robbie Burns and pass the shortest day in song, dance, and spirited folk tales.

Performances are December 8, 9, & 10 and 15, 16, & 17
Oakland Scottish Rite Center on Lake Merritt
Tickets and more information here.

San Francisco Ballet’s The Nutcracker
On Christmas Eve 1944, the audience at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House experienced the American premiere of Nutcracker. An instant sensation, the ballet launched a national holiday tradition.

This holiday season, join them as the lights dim, the music soars, snowflakes swirl, flowers dance, and a little girl dreams about a whole new world in a Nutcracker that is as unique as it is magical.

December 13 to 30
San Francisco Opera House
Tickets and more information here.

A Christmas Carol
Featuring a lively cast of dozens, gorgeous costumes, and those deliciously spooky ghosts, the Bay Area’s favorite holiday tradition returns with a sparkling, music-infused production of A Christmas Carol. Bring your family, bring your friends, and check your “humbugs” at the door!

December 1-24
American Conservatory Theater
415 Geary Street, San Francisco
Tickets and more information here.