What’s better than escaping into storyland with your kids on a chilly December morning? How about exploring the the Bay Area’s winter wonderland and making some adventures of your own? Pour a cup of cocoa and snuggle up with these titles from Bay Area authors and illustrators. Then, let their stories inspire you and your family to venture forth and create some yuletide memories. Click through to see all of our recommended book-meets-real-life activities!

Belt Out Some Holiday Tunes

Read This: Deck the Walls! A Wacky Christmas Carol
“Deck the walls with mashed potatoes! Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Make a snowman with tomatoes. Fa la la la la, la la la la.”
With perfect rhyme and meter, and set to hilarious illustrations, a classic carol gets a modern makeover. Cousins have a blast making a mess of Christmas dinner, but all ends well as the extended family troops outside to sing under the falling snow. You’ll never use the original lyrics again.

Then Do This: Christmas carols are best when belted out loud and rewarded with cookies! Dial back a few decades and organize a caroling party in your neighborhood. Too shy? Buy tickets for Grace Cathedral’s showstopping “Sing You a Mercy Christmas” sing-along, designed for families with kids under eight. For a more casual vibe, check out the Inner Sunset’s Santastic holiday street fair, oozing with festive flair and featuring local shopping and a concert by student musicians.

Grace Cathedral Sing You a Merry Christmas
Sat., Dec. 12, 11 a.m.
11 California St., SF
Online: gracecathedral.org

Photo: Grace Cathedral

Do you have a suggestion for a book-meets-local-adventure pairing? Tell us in the comments below! 

–Emma Bland Smith

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