San Francisco is aglow in December, with homes, stores and landmarks getting into the holiday spirit with lights, decorations, art and dashes of creativity. Now is the perfect time to head outside and take in the city’s festive sights and offerings.
Civic Center
City Hall puts on a good show with “Winter Lights,” featuring customized, colorful images projected onto the front of the historic building. The 10-minute show, which includes an audio component, runs from 5:30 p.m. to midnight, starting every half hour. While in the neighborhood, check out the towering holiday tree in Civic Center Plaza and the festive exteriors of the nearby Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and Herbst Theatre. In UN Plaza, you’ll also find some of Charles Gadeken’s “Entwined,” the large multi-colored LED-lights installation previously in Golden Gate Park.
Union Square
Union Square, a go-to spot for tourists, is a staple holiday hub for San Francisco residents. It’s the site of Macy’s Great Tree and the annual Bill Graham menorah. Surrounding stores, including Neiman Marcus with its tall, lighted tree and Macy’s many wreaths, are equally festive. An Ornament Trail featuring numerous oversized round ornaments — some shiny blue, others with murals — is on Powell Street. Make a game out of it and count them. Or simply take photos and later wonder why your iCloud storage is full. Or pop in the Westin St. Francis at 335 Powell St. to check out the impressive 12-foot Holiday Sugar Castle in the lobby. From Dec. 13-24, the “Winter Walk” features a holiday marketplace, decorations, live performances, food trucks and more on Stockton between Post and O’Farrell streets. The free, family-friendly event is open Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Union Square visitors will find an Ornament Trail with large decorative sculptures along Powell Street. (JL Odom/Bay City News) 
Since 1990, the Macy’s-sponsored Great Tree in Union Square has been a San Francisco fixture; holiday trees in the square date back to the late-1880s. (JL Odom/Bay City News) 
From the wreath-filled window displays in Macy’s to the enormous tree and menorah in the outdoor plaza, San Francisco’s Union Square is a holiday mecca for locals and tourists. (JL Odom/Bay City News) 
The Westin St. Francis hotel lobby is the site of the intricately decorated, 12-foot Holiday Sugar Castle created by executive pastry chef Jean-Francois Houdre. (JL Odom/Bay City News)
The Embarcadero
On the Embarcadero, the Ferry Building boasts myriad festive displays courtesy of vendors and retailers. There also are places to get a treat, whether a slice of peppermint bark or spiced rum eggnog cheesecake from Nash Bakes or a pastry from Parachute or Miette Patisserie. Pair it with a triple shot of espresso from Blue Bottle Coffee, because there’s more display searching to do. Post-Ferry Building, go for a sugar- and caffeine-fueled walk or ride in a pedicab along the Embarcadero. You’ll come across decorations outside of the San Francisco Fire Department’s Fire Station 35, Hi Dive Bar and Oracle Park.
SF neighborhood self-guided tours
When it comes to festooned homes, take your pick. Corona/Ashbury Heights, the Haight, Duboce Triangle, the Castro, Sunset, Richmond, Sea Cliff — on-foot or in a vehicle, touring one, some, or all these neighborhoods is worthwhile.
There’s also a plethora of local businesses showcasing unique holiday-themed displays in storefronts. If in the Lower Haight checking out decorated homes like Tommy Leyva’s at 284 Divisadero St., cross the street for a board game-themed nativity scene in the window of Gamescape and an ode to the movie “A Christmas Story” in the window of J.P. Kempt barbershop.
Tommy Leyva and his husband, known for their eccentric Halloween display at their 284 Divisadero St. home, also decorate in December. Note the skeletons in Santa hats having a jolly good time. (JL Odom/Bay City News) 
The Animal House pet store in the Duboce Triangle features holiday-themed “Ian the Meow” murals by a San Francisco artist who prefers anonymity. Here, Ian, who is a cat, is dressed as a Christmas tree. (JL Odom/Bay City News) 
Gamescape, in the Lower Haight on Divisadero Street, has a window nativity scene with the characters intently focused on—you guessed it—a board game.(JL Odom/Bay City News) 
Noe Valley’s 24th Street has numerous holiday storefront displays, including the Christmas- and Hanukkah-themed ones at Noe Valley Books. (JL Odom/Bay City News)
In Duboce Triangle, The Animal House pet store, at 157 Fillmore St., commissioned the anonymous artist behind Ian the Meow to paint holiday-themed murals. In Hayes Valley, the F. Dorian gift shop on 370 Hayes St. features various sized vintage televisions, each featuring a winter wonderland scene.
If in the Castro to see the Pride-themed holiday tree in the Bank of America Plaza, also peruse the windows of Castro Street spots such as Cliff’s Variety, Swirl liquor store and Twin Peaks Tavern. Just around the corner on 17th Street is Orphan Andy’s, a historic diner that goes all out when it comes to holiday festiveness.
Noe Valley gets into the spirit as well, with its decorated courtyard and most stores on 24th Street celebrating the season. On the front windows of Iron + Mettle, a boutique women’s gym, it says “Merry Liftmas” alongside a mural of a smiling deer with a loaded barbell in her hands—or hooves. Martha & Bros. Coffee Co., Noe Valley Books and the home decor shop When Modern Was (WMW) also have outstanding displays, as does Noe Valley Bakery, where you can purchase a peppermint cake or Christmas and Hanukkah cookies and cupcakes. Another fun feature on the street: parking meters dressed up as peppermint sticks.
The Panhandle
Unexpected holiday finds are often the most rewarding: Taking a walk in the Panhandle, look up and around. You might locate one of the tiny evergreen trees, adorned with an eclectic mix of ornaments, on the lawn. Per tradition, people add to the trees’ branches as the month progresses. You might find yourself doing the same.