The ice-skating rink is up in Union Square, so we knew it was time to talk about Holiday Shopping. We have some craft fairs for you (it’s never too early to start), as well as some not so usual gift suggestions, and you know you deserve something as well. If you want a little brain stimulation, we also have some events with authors that will get the synapses firing. And listen in to this week’s Happy Hour Podcast celebrating Bob Hope and our Veterans. Make sure to take time to really enjoy this season – deep breaths and maybe a glass of bubbly!

Remembering The Greatest Generation

For five decades Bob Hope entertained our troops. Now the letters he received from G.I.s and their families during WWII have been turned into a beautiful book by Martha Bolton, his first female staff comedy writer, and his daughter Linda Hope. We loved talking to Martha, about her own extraordinary career and her memories of this amazing man. Listen in now by clicking on the image, or listen wherever you listen to podcasts. LISTEN IN HERE. Or wherever you listen to podcasts.

 November 12 – 14.  Shopping at the DeYoung

Time to shop for you or the peeps on your list. You can get started at the De Young this weekend. A fellow local tomato, Ellen Brook, will be showcasing her gorgeous wearable art. Unique jewelry, textiles and more will get your shopping started. While there, don’t forget to visit the Patrick Kelly, Runway of Love exhibit – fashionistas will be blown away.  Deyoung.famsf.org

Nov. 2021. West Coast Craft

Head to Fort Mason Center where you will find a juried exhibit of more than 250 artisans, WCC features designers and craftspeople inspired by the mood and aesthetics of the West Coast lifestyle, as well as by local materials and innovations. You will have so much fun browsing for fine craft items including ceramics, sculpture, fiber arts, textiles, home furnishings, paper goods, wood crafts, bath and body products, and more.  Get the details.

Shopping Hours Extended at Fog City Flea

The Ferry Building is buzzing once more, and Fog City Flea offers extended holiday hours. This favorite shopping venue brings an eclectic lineup of makers and merchants from the Bay Area and beyond offering handcrafted jewelry, apparel, accessories, apothecary, housewares, furnishings, and well-edited vintage on weekends at the Ferry Building. Fridays 3 – 8, Saturdays and Sundays 10 – 5. Just a little tip – when you get hungry go to Gott’s and try their Oatly soft serve ice cream. Dairy free indulgence. Yum. Get the details.

Shop and Aid Alzheimer’s Research

We are fans of Rivet Revolution and their gorgeous bracelets and have shared their story before. One of the founders, Susan Evans, lost her father this year to Alzheimer’s. In his honor they want to see if they can get 100+ bracelets out into the world this month. They are offering a 40% discount with the promo code OZ40. Stock up on these beautiful bracelets for yourself or friends and know that a percentage of every sale goes toward charities to help eliminate Alzheimers. Get the details.

Gift an Experience

You probably know by now, after six years writing the San Francisco edition of The Three Tomatoes newsletter, that we love experiences as gifts. This is a great one for all ages, either for a gift or a holiday outing. For just $5, you can live out your Greatest Showman dreams. On Fridays, Circus Center opens its doors for demos in plate spinning, balancing acts, handstands, and stretching. Have an extra $5? You’ll get to take your turn on a flying trapeze. At the end of the night, enjoy a short flying trapeze performance by the Circus Center Flyers. Ages 16 and up; Fridays from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.  Circus Center, 755 Frederick St.  circuscenter.org

Nov. 19. Rebecca Solnit at City Arts and Lectures

City Arts and Lectures is always the place to go to stimulate the synapses. Coming up is Rebecca Solnit. She is the author of Hope in the Dark, Men Explain Things to Me, and her newest, Orwell’s Rosesis. She is an incisive voice on everything from Western history to literary criticism, feminism to the environment. She’ll talk to attorney and author Natashia Deón (Grace), whose forthcoming book The Perishing is “an intoxicating blend of sci-fi and historical fiction [which offers] a unique perspective on Depression-era life for a Black woman, time traveler or not.”  Friday, November 19 at 7:30pm www.cityarts.net

Nov. 16. Book Passage Features Ellen Snee

Self-described as The Bay Area’s Liveliest Bookstore, Book Passage brings a fascinating live event to their Ferry Building Location. Ellen Snee, author of Lead: How Women in Charge Claim Their Authority, joins Laila Tarraf in conversation.

Ellen Snee is a most unusual tomato who spent eighteen years as a Catholic nun and during that time, she gained a number of essential — and, happily, transferable — skills: how to discern a call or deep desire, how to work collaboratively with other women, and how to be a savvy operator within male hierarchies.

In Lead, she draws on that knowledge — as well as lessons learned and insights gained from her Harvard dissertation on psychological dimensions of authority for women, two decades of work with executive women as CEO of Fine Line Consulting, and five years as VP of Organizational & Leadership Development at VMware, a global technology leader — to address the exercise of authority by women. This will be an eye opening and inspiring conversation, and don’t you think her book will also make a wonderful gift? Tuesday November 16^th 5 p.m. Ferry Building. http://www.bookpassage.com

 GET THE BOOKS.