Spend Time With Santa This Weekend

December is officially here! The holiday trees are lit. The sound of jingle bells is in the air. It's that time of year when we all jam the shopping centers looking for presents for ourselves or our loved ones (my wife has a new sports car on her wish list). I'll spend this weekend looking for a holiday tree and I hope to find it on Ring Mountain of all places. But don't forget to stop by Marin Catholic on Saturday to cheer on the football team in the playoffs.

• Bring the kids for a photo with Santa at the Corte Madera Town Center's holiday gift wrap center, located in the 770 Office Building Lobby next to Barnes & Noble. After you’ve found the perfect gifts at any of the Town Center retailers, bring it to the holiday gift wrap center for a free gift wrap by volunteers from Hospice By The Bay.

And don’t forget that Town Center’s “World’s Largest Turkey” will be accepting donations throughout the holidays to help needy families in Marin. Donations are collected and distributed by Marin Food Bank. 

• Even Kris Kringle needs to fuel up before he starts checking his list. Have Breakfast with Santa at the Cheesecake Factory in The Village at 9 a.m. Saturday. Also, enjoy a holiday treat when the talented students of Hall Middle School take center stage at The Village.

• Top-seeded Marin Catholic (12-0) puts its undefeated season on the line against No. 4 Encinal (11-1) in the North Coast Section Div. III semifinals on Saturday at 1 p.m.

• Internationally-renowned designer Sudha Pennathur will be on hand for a weekend benefit sale for The Redwoods senior community. Sudha's Treasures Holiday Benefit Sale, Friday through Sunday at the Town Center, will feature exotic items, including distinctive jewelry, scarves, Christmas ornaments, decorative objects and many fabulous gift items.

• Hospice By The Bay hosts its annual Service of Remembrance on Saturday to honor the memory of loved ones through a sharing of inspiring messages, music, ritual and prayer. The service is free and open to individuals, families and community members who are coping with the loss of a loved one. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. To honor a life remembered, they can also display a photograph or an object of remembrance on a community altar. For information or to request to have one or more names read during the service, call (415) 526-5580, or e-mail hospiceinfo@hbtb.org.

• Til Dawn, a local a capella group, will sing at the Corte Madera Library on Saturday, 12-12:30 p.m., in celebration of the library's 40th anniversary.

• Marin County Parks invites the public to come out to Ring Mountain to pick out, cut down, and take home their own holiday tree from the preserve. The invasive Monterey Pine trees are free to harvest. There are also some pre-cut trees available. Girl Scouts will also be running a holiday swag-making booth using garlands harvested from the preserve.

• Marin native Tom Killion, who has been producing acclaimed Japanese-style woodcut prints of the California landscape for more than 40 years, will be at Book Passage in Corte Madera on Friday, 7 p.m.

• Chef Bradley Ogden presents holiday meals from his new book at The Tavern at Lark Creek on Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. The $130 pricetag includes the meal, wine, coffee, tax, tip and a signed copy of Holiday Dinners With Bradley Ogden.

Celebrate the holidays throughout December at The Tavern at Lark Creek, which offers a special lunch menu on weekdays through December 30, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.