Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Swing into the holidays gleefully by getting a photo of your pup or grand pup with Santa. Heads up for a very special concert. If shopping the malls scares the heck out of you, no fear, I have a list of wonderful “Holiday Markets.” If you want to escape the holiday angst, consider a guided weekend walk at Descanso Gardens. Another perfect way to escape is with a lovely holiday cocktail…or two…Art Deco Style. There are lots of ways to ring in holiday cheer this week, Tomatoes.

Santa Paws Photo’s

Join Santa at The Village Westfield Topanga for a holiday themed photo experience for you and your doggie or doggies, Tomatoes.  You’ll receive the perfect picture for your holiday card. Ruff! Ruff! All it costs is a $5 donation with the proceeds going to Operations Blankets of Love. And that’s not all that’s awesome happening at The Westfield Village, Tomatoes.

The Village Westfield Topanga  will also transform into a Winter Wonderland and you can celebrate the season with their “Winter Nights” experiences on December 5th & 12th. And on another side of town the Westfield Century City will also transform to a charming holiday village featuring skating, Santa, snow, pop-up shops, seasonal surprises, and much more! So yes, indeedy, Tomatoes, there will be a plethora of fun holiday experiences at both Westfield Malls this month. Yippee!

December 7 & 8. Holiday Concert & Sing-a-Long

If you want to see the wonderful Angel City Chorale’s annual Holiday Concert at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, you should reserve you’re your tickets today for the “Starry, Starry Night Holiday Concert.”Artistic Director Sue Fink leads 180 glorious voices and musicians of orchestra in celebration of the music from some of your big-screen holiday favorites. How lovely!  Some of the best holiday songs come from the movies, Tomatoes.

Like such beloved classic films as “White Christmas”, “Holiday Inn”, “Meet Me in St. Louis”, “The Preacher’s Wife” and even “Home Alone”. Enjoy the concerts hallmark variety of musical styles with Vivaldi’s classical “Domine Fili Unigenite,” “Hine Ma Tov,” a Spanish carol/villancicos, “Los Peces en el Rio” and the west coast premiere of the new Swahili Christmas song “Njooni Waaminifu,” by Grammy-winner and ACC favorite, Christopher Tin. Plus, this Starry Starry Night will feature many favorite carols with an audience Sing-Along. Now that is certainly going to get you in the Holiday Spirit, Tomatoes!

We have a Thanksgiving gift for all of you today. It’s a beautiful performance by Christina Connors singing “We Live on Borrowed Time” from her solo album “Dream Bigger…Songs of Hope, Healing, and Inspiration,” and you can listen to the song on our special Thanksgiving Day Happy Hour Podcast. Listen in now.

Dec 6. Holiday Cocktails

It’s all about location, location, location Ladies.  So, I highly recommend joining and ringing in the holidays with the next “Cocktails in Historic Places” at the bar of the stunning & historic Biltmore Hotel in the heart of DTLA. It’s presented by The Art Deco Society and they know it doesn’t get more historic or classy than The Biltmore, Tomatoes.

The Christmas Tree in The Biltmore Hotel Lobby is a must see.  And don’t get me started about how cool the Biltmore’s Bar is.  So, relax and imbibe Tomatoes with Holiday Cocktails at…you know where…The Biltmore. And you gotta love The Art Deco Society that helps to celebrate and preserve the architecture, arts, music, dance, fashion and elegance of Art Deco.

Nov. 30-Dec. 31. Descanso Garden Walks

Gorgeous Descanso Gardens offers a great way to leave the holiday stress & pressure behind, Tomatoes. The gardens are now filled with seasonal blooms like Camelia’s and Toyon Berries, among others, and docent led weekend walks give you the opportunity to relax and reflect while strolling through Descanso’s magnificent terrain to discover the delights of nature this time of year. And there are a ton of bloomin’ delights to be found, Tomatoes.

Though there are weekend walks throughout the year at Descanso Gardens, we might forget that being so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season, that there are always beauty and blooms, even in the LA winter. It’s a valuable reminder that the ever-changing world of nature doesn’t stop for the holiday season. Aren’t we lucky to live here Tomatoes?!  Just sayin’ gals.

Nov. 30 – December. Holiday Markets

If you are a Tomato dreading the massive deluge of shoppers at the malls and department stores this shopping crazed month, an independent Holiday Market will certainly be more enjoyable, keep you in the Holiday Spirit and give you tons of unique holiday gift choices. I hope Tomatoes will find my list of cool shopping alternatives all across LA this month, helpful.

Here are my shopping suggestions for the Tomatoes who want to fulfill their shopping needs with unique gifts this Holiday Season without stepping into a mall. Copy and paste this onto your Calendar or grab a pencil because this list is for the whole month with lots of holiday markets and fairs to choose from Ladies.

Nov. 30 & Dec 1. The 12th Annual Downtown LA Holiday Marketplace.

120 of LA’s best designers, artists & brands holiday portraits, plush lounges, gift wrap stations, a cafe and bar, and DJs and you’ve got a unique holiday shopping experience!

Nov. & Dec. 1.  CAFAM Holiday Marketplace at the Craft and Folk Art Museum.  Guests of the event will enjoy music and complimentary refreshments while they shop and mingle among vibrantly crafted and designed goods by the museums’ curated vendors.

December 6, – 8. Echo Park Holiday Craft Fair is a 3-day art and design event in Silverlake featuring work by over 120 artists. The Fair has become a pioneering showcase for the thriving Makers Movement.

December 7 & 8. A Current Affair A Vintage Pop Up Marketplace Shop an array of vintage clothing, accessories, and jewelry from the Victorian Era through today.

December 14. Santa Monica Pier Holiday Market gives you the opportunity to shop and support over 200 independent designers, artists and emerging brands at the Santa Monica Pier!

December 14 & 15, 21& 22. Artists & Fleas Pop Up Holiday Market at the Grand Central Market in DTLA is bringing together the finest LA makers so shoppers can spend the day or days checking all those gifts off your list.

Dec. 5- 22.  Santa Monica Winterlit Holiday Market. Celebrate the holidays with this market on the Third Street Promenade featuring unique “Made in LA” gifts from amazing hand-picked artisans.