Celebrate the Holiday Season this December
Free Events at the Presidio Officer’s Club
San Francisco (Oct 27, 2016): The Presidio Trust invites kids and adults of all ages to celebrate the holiday season at the Presidio Officers’ Club with free activities offered during the month of December.
December events kick off with the Presidio’s annual holiday film screening on Thursday, December 1, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with the holiday classic Remember the Night (1940), featuring a sharp-witted script by Preston Sturges and deft direction by Mitchell Leisen. The evening is hosted by Randy Haberkamp, Managing Director of Preservation and Foundation Programs at the Academy. Special guest Kate MacMurray, the daughter of Fred MacMurray and June Haver, will share some of her father’s Hollywood home movies. Screened courtesy of Universal Studios.
The holidays light up with the Presidio’s annual tree lighting ceremony on Friday, December 2, at 5.30 p.m. Join the Golden Gate Carolers on the Main Post, across from Presidio Community Y (at the corner of Lincoln and Funston) to light the tree and sing holiday classics. Light refreshments and kids’ activities will follow in the Presidio Community Y gymnasium. After the tree lighting, a lantern-lit evening forest walk starts at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, December 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Golden Gate Mothers Group and the Presidio Trust host Holiday Family Fun: an afternoon full of kid-friendly holiday craft-making at the Presidio Officers’ Club. Bring the whole family to make winter bird hand puppets, decorate cookies (which will be provided), learn about park wildlife at the Roving Ranger truck, and explore the Presidio Nature Lab: an all-ages, hands-on exhibition that makes the great outdoors come to life. Free snacks will be available for all – and the first 100 families will receive a special Presidio goodie bag.
Creative Family Fun – Every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Families are welcome to drop in for imaginative craft-making based on the Presidio’s natural and cultural heritage with different crafts every weekend!
- December 3 +4: Hovering Hawk Hand Puppets
Did you know that the Presidio is home to both the Red-Shouldered and Red-Tailed Hawks?
Come learn about these amazing raptors while you design your own hawk hand puppet.
- December 10 + 11: Light up the Night with Paper Lanterns — get prepared for Winter Solstice by making your own paper lantern to brighten up the night!
- December 17 + 18: Holiday Wreaths Family Event — create holiday décor with trimmings from the Presidio forest, with help from merry volunteers. Greens, wire, clippers, and frames are provided. Bring your own trimmings: ribbons, cards, and mementos. Food is available for purchase.
Join the Presidio stargazing party on Saturday, December 3, at 7 p.m. on the Main Parade Ground. Presidio stargazing parties are perfect for families and people of all ages interested in seeing the universe through a telescope. The SFAA brings telescopes and amateur astronomers to guide you, unveiling some of the night sky’s most interesting astronomical beauties. See the moon, planets, nebulae, and galaxies up close and learn some of the constellations at a star tour. Bad weather cancels. Check www.sfaa-astronomy.org.
Get a taste of the holidays with Chef Traci Des Jardins on Thursday, December 8, at 6 p.m. at the Presidio Officers’ Club, as she shares holiday highlights from her family’s kitchen through a delightful cooking demonstration. Top Chef Des Jardins runs three restaurants in the Presidio, including Arguello, located in the Presidio Officers’ Club.
A holiday sing-a-long makes the season merry on Thursday, December 15, 6 p.m. at the Presidio Officers’ Club. Gather around the piano to share music and holiday cheer, led by performers from 42nd Street Moon. Festive drinks from Arguello restaurant are available for purchase.
Attention Calendar Editors:
All events take place at the Presidio Officers’ Club unless otherwise noted.
50 Moraga Ave, San Francisco, CA
Cost: Free
Photos are available on request
ABOUT THE PRESIDIO AND THE PRESIDIO TRUST
The Presidio is a new kind of national park located at San Francisco’s Golden Gate. Once a legendary U.S. Army post, the park now offers world-class museums and restaurants, 24 miles of hiking trails and scenic overlooks with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco’s city skyline, the Pacific Ocean, and the San Francisco Bay. The Presidio offers free public programs and events, a public golf course, the world-class Inn at the Presidio and the Presidio Officers’ Club, San Francisco’s most historic building. A wide range of recreation, wellness, and dining options are also provided by the Presidio’s 200 tenants. The Presidio is managed by the Presidio Trust (Trust), a unique federal agency created in 1998 to save the Presidio and transform it into a national park. The Trust generates revenue for the park through rehabilitating and leasing historic buildings, and now operates the Presidio without taxpayer support. In 2015, the Presidio was recognized as a top destination by National Geographic Traveler’s magazine “Best of the World” list. To learn more, please visit www.presidio.gov.