12 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM can dance, drink and be merry with The Great Dickens Christmas Fair’s lively literary characters. (Page 46) And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to sell Christmas trees, Brian Thom takes us behind the scenes at a popular tree lot in this month’s Q&A. (Page 20) Palo Alto native Alisa Eagleston-Cieslewicz shares how her childhood fascination with art led to a career caring for beautiful objects, first as a conservator and now as executive director of The Foster Museum, a hidden gem in an unlikely location. (Page 23) Family-run Domenico Winery and Osteria is another gem in an unusual locale. Find out how this sophisticated Italian restaurant ended up in the industrial section of San Carlos. (Page 58) Maybe you’ve seen the lines outside Mazra, Redwood City’s buzzy Mediterranean eatery? Meet the aimable brothers working hard to earn all the adulation. (Page 53) If you’ve heard one Christmas carol too many and are ready to shout, “Bah, humbug!” check out Grammy-winning jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti’s albums for a change of pace. The former child prodigy from Menlo Park reveals how his painful past helped forge his distinctive musical voice. (Page 100) Or get away to Calistoga for some self-care. We’ve got tips on finding delightful hot springs for a relaxing soak—followed by some wine, of course! (Page 37) Find all this and more in the pages of our year-end issue. Whether you’re lighting candles or rolling out gingerbread, frying up latkes or planning a New Year’s Eve bash, I wish you a joyful holiday and a healthy, happy 2025! Andrea Gemmet andrea@punchmonthly.com {editor’s note} don’t think of myself as an overly trusting child but in the face of holiday magic, not even a hint of suspicion clouded my mind. As a parent, I tried to recreate that same sense of wonder for my daughter, finding out first-hand why my parents always seemed so tired as they stumbled through Christmas Day. There’s a lot of late-night effort that goes into stuffing stockings and assembling toys. I can’t go back to my unworldly nine-year-old self, but experiencing a bit of that magical joy through a child’s eyes is definitely the next best thing. My mom made sure that all three kids got a new ornament every year, usually adding a small, dated tag. When I moved out, I carefully collected mine and brought them to my first apartment. The slightly chaotic assortment grows a little every year and is more of a stroll down memory lane than a decorating scheme. From the Hungarian Baby Jesus sleeping in a walnut shell to the black-and-white cat that resembled my family’s feisty feline, each one represents an experience, a passion, a moment in my life. It’s possible that when my daughter moves out, she’ll choose to have a beautifully turned-out tree, maybe with a color palette or theme that changes regularly. If she turns out to be a nostalgic softy like her mom, I think we’ve gotten her off to a good start. Her own history shares the branches of our family tree, from the tacky Tinker Bell my husband surreptitiously bought during her first Disneyland trip to a blown-glass version of Doctor Who’s Tardis and a beaded hummingbird in honor of the flashy creatures that frequent our backyard. In this month’s issue, we’re all about finding a bit of sparkle to brighten December’s long winter nights, from exploring the allure of vintage jewelry with a couple of Peninsula experts (Page 72) to frolicking in a festive recreation of Victorian London, where you Every December, you’ll find a slightly wonky fir tree in my living room, and hanging somewhere on its branches will be a brightly colored little girl made of yarn. She hails from Mexico and serves as my annual reminder of the awesome power of childhood naivete. When I was nine, my parents enjoyed a kid-free trip to Mexico City for an education conference. A few months later, my siblings and I were delighted to find yarn-covered ornaments made in Mexico for each of us under the Christmas tree. Rather than connect the obvious dots, we marveled at Santa’s thoughtfulness in choosing gifts from the very same place Mom and Dad went on their wonderful trip. I
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