Make San Francisco your Home for the Holidays. The only thing you won't find in San Francisco this holiday season is snow. Expect instead a flurry of fun ... ice rinks, tree lightings, theatre, music and a delightful mix of new and old traditions - it all adds up to one cool Yule.

I can't think of another city where the holiday lights are as magical. Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Chestnut and Union Streets and along the Embarcadero are all spilling over with yule tide decorations that will immediately put you in the holiday mood as you stroll the streets after dusk. The shopping displays at Union Square are always worth a special trip, and are only a cable car ride away from our location.

Speaking of the holidays, be sure to bring the family to Fisherman's Wharf for our 16th annual Holiday Lights & Sights Boat Parade. It's a "must-see" event that the entire family will enjoy.

In addition, the Local Events page on our website provides details for some of the more interesting events that are happening in San Francisco this month. Regardless of what you have planned, enjoy the holiday season in our beautiful city.

What's your favorite spot in San Francisco? Let us know at sheratonsf@ihrco.com or Share on Facebook.

Happy Travels ... Craig Schwan, General Manager

A Christmas Carol
The Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition returns to A.C.T. with a sparkling, music-infused production of "A Christmas Carol." Featuring mean ol' Scrooge, adorable Tiny Tim, those spooky Christmas ghosts, and a multigenerational cast of dozens, A Christmas Carol is a celebration of goodwill that you'll never forget.

The San Francisco Chronicle says "Scrooge is a joy. James Carpenter's stunning central performance as Scrooge in A.C.T.'s A Christmas Carol can't be upstaged."

Bring your family, bring your friends, and check your "humbugs" at the door! Time: Tuesday-Friday 7:00pm, Saturday 2:00pm and 7:00pm, Sunday 2:00pm. Located at the Geary Theatre. For more info call: (415) 749-2228.

La Folie
A perennial favorite of ours, La Folie started out as a casual affair when it opened in 1988, but with each year chef-owner Roland Passot has cranked up the style. Even after an outstanding remodel several years ago, the interior never paralleled the artistry of the cooking.

Chef Passot's classic French training is modulated with a California sensibility, and he's interjected a little humor in his offerings such as quail and foie gras lollipops or an opening salvo of "steak frites'' -- beef carpaccio topped with truffles and a little cone of shoestring potatoes. Where Passot differs from his colleagues is with the humongous size of the portions; it's kind of the Hungry Man's version of four-star dining.

The menu begins with a goat cheese and fourme d'ambert terrine with baby pickled beets, toasted walnuts and frisee salad. The most memorable dish is the warm, crisp patty of gooey pig's feet, sweetbreads and lobster, topped with a tight mound of frisee salad, all arranged on lentils flavored with bacon and a hazelnut vinaigrette.

For the less adventurous, give the Niman Ranch lamb loin, with Medjool dates and potatoes "fondante" a try. Delicious!

Diners have a choice of desserts, including coconut tapioca pudding with passion fruit sorbet, or a rich chocolate caramel mousse. Before the check arrives, the waiter brings a tray of bite-size sweets, but by that time another bite seems impossible; the staff graciously packs them up and sends them home with you.

Visit La Folie on nearby Polk Street at Green. For reservations and further information call (415) 776-5577.

San Francisco Symphony Holiday Program
From choral to jazz, traditional to pop, this season of concerts will fill you with the cheer of your old holiday favorites and get you on your feet with new holiday hits.

The San Francisco Symphony offers more than two dozen special concerts for the holidays. Audience favorites include Deck the Hall, Dec. 13; Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf narrated by Linda Ronstadt, Dec. 13; Holiday Pipe Dreams with organist David Higgs, Dec. 13; Colors of Christmas featuring Peabo Bryson, Jennifer Holliday and Sheena Easton, Dec. 14-16; Choral Christmas Spectacular, Dec. 17-19; Preservation Hall Jazz Band on Dec. 19; and a NYE festive gala on Dec. 31.

The San Francisco Symphony sets the highest possible standard for excellence in musical performance at home and around the world; Enriches, serves, and shapes cultural life throughout the spectrum of Bay Area communities. All concerts are held at Symphony Hall. For more info call: (415) 864-6000.

Celebrate New Year's Eve Aboard Hornblower Cruises
The hottest spot for the New Year's Eve celebration is on a Hornblower yacht. Indulge in a four-course seated dinner, open premium bar, including after-dinner liqueurs and champagne, party favors, pre-boarding photograph and live music, or enjoy a buffet dinner, open standard cocktail bar, including after-dinner liqueurs and house champagne, party favors, pre-boarding photograph and DJ music. Boarding at 8:00 p.m.; Departure at 9:00 p.m. Fireworks included.

Hornblower Cruises & Events has provided stunning nautical venues for unique events, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries along with spectacular celebrations of all kinds for almost 30 years.

Enjoy magnificent skyline views of San Francisco and feast on freshly prepared cuisine while enjoying refreshing ocean breezes aboard a sparkling dining cruise. This special event cruise departs from Pier 3, Hornblower Landing. For more info call: (415) 788-8865.

OVO by Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil's latest big top production, OVO, is making its U.S. premiere at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Nov. 27, 2009. OVO, which means "egg" in Portuguese, utilizes this timeless symbol of the life cycle and adapts it to a colony of insects who are awestruck and intensely curious when a mysterious egg appears in their midst.

A cast of 54 performing artists from 13 countries will make the teeming world of these quirky critters come alive.

Holiday Lights & Sights Boat Parade
The Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District and the St. Francis Yacht Club will join once again to present the oldest and largest lighted holiday boat parade on San Francisco Bay.

More than 100 boats, each festooned with lights and holiday decorations, will parade along the waterfront starting at 6:00pm. A holiday tradition since 1994, this year's parade will include members of the St. Francis Yacht Club, Fisherman's Wharf Fishing Fleet, Golden Gate Yacht Club, PIER 39 Marina, and the Sea Scouts. The parade route will begin just off of PIER 39, proceeding west past Fisherman's Wharf, Fort Mason and the St. Francis Yacht Club, and will turn around off of Crissy Field.

What a great way to get the family in the holiday mood!  Enjoy the boat parade on Friday, December 11, 2009 all along the waterfront from PIER 39 to Aquatic Park.

For activity reservations and suggestions, please contact our Concierge.
 Website  •  Phone (415) 627-6525  •  Email SheratonFW@conciergeofsanfrancisco.com