Portola Valley's Holiday Season Lives on Two Roads, and December 6 Is Where They Meet

The Portola Valley Farmers' Market runs this afternoon in the Historic Schoolhouse Parking Lot from 2 to 5 p.m. In April the Town calendar listed the same Thursday market as running until 6. The earlier closing started on November 5, when the Town's weekly update announced that winter hours began that day. Weekday plans now end an hour sooner, and the rest of the holiday calendar is short as well. It is spread across a few addresses on Portola Road and Alpine Road, and most of its events cluster on a handful of dates.

The busiest of those dates is Sunday, December 6.

The Portola Road half of the season

Start at Town Center, where the weekday routine continues. The Town calendar lists the farmers market on December 3, 10 and 17. The County of San Mateo calls it a year-round certified market and notes that it closes at 5 p.m. in winter, as opposed to 6 p.m. the rest of the year. If you usually stop by after the school run or on your way home from work, you now have an hour less to do it.

The same parking lot hosts something new on Tuesday, November 24. San Mateo County Libraries' new Bookmobile will be parked at the Schoolhouse Parking Lot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with public activities and an open house inside the vehicle. It's the second of two Portola Valley Library visits this month, after November 17. The library's October report describes a 32-foot hybrid carrying books and movies for children and adults, Spanish-language materials, Wi-Fi hotspots, technology and hands-on learning, with seating for reading and programs. The same report scheduled the ribbon cutting for October 23 at Pescadero Elementary School. The library's road show then began touring the county on October 24 at the Belmont Centennial Parade. The Bookmobile page has the details.

A little farther up the road, Christ Church Portola Valley and Woodside at 815 Portola Road has the two holiday events on this stretch that need planning ahead:

• Christmas Banquet, Sunday, December 6, 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $75 for one adult and $140 for two adults. A child's ticket is $35 and covers dinner and childcare. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite, linked from the church's banquet page.
• Enchanted Gingerbread Decorating Party, Sunday, December 13, 11 a.m. to noon, at the same address.

On that same first Sunday in December, Valley Presbyterian Church holds Choral Christmas, a special worship service led by its choir. The church's event calendar has the listing.

The Alpine Road half

The other end of the season runs along Alpine Road near I-280, and it opens the Monday before Thanksgiving. Santa's Village at Webb Ranch, 2718 Alpine Road, opens Monday, November 23, and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The lot describes itself as a family operation that has sold Christmas trees and holiday decor on the Peninsula for more than 60 years. This year's trees are grown in Oregon and Washington, in four varieties:

Webb Ranch also offers tree services and holiday decor, and local delivery may be arranged. It lists 650-854-3134 for questions starting Thanksgiving week. The most important detail on the page is the reservation calendar. Reservations are required on November 27, 28 and 29, and again on December 5 and 6. Those are the two weekends when most households pick a tree, so Webb Ranch books them ahead and leaves the rest of the season open for walk-ins.

On Sunday, December 6, you need a Webb Ranch reservation to shop the lot, Christ Church's banquet starts at 5, and Valley Presbyterian holds Choral Christmas. If you want to do more than one, choose your Webb Ranch time slot first, since it's the only one tied to a booking window. Then plan the rest of the day around it.

Rossotti's Alpine Inn, down Alpine Road, sets the other boundary. Its FAQ says it closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If a post-tree-lot burger is part of your family's routine, it works on any of the reservation weekends but not on November 26, December 24 or December 25.

The trails between the two roads

Both roads lead into open space, and the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's guided hikes this season follow the same pattern. Each one starts from a parking area on Portola Road or Alpine Road.

The first is close to Town Center. Fall & Winter Berries at Windy Hill Preserve runs Saturday, November 21, from noon to 2 p.m. It's a 2-mile, family-friendly docent hike that meets at the Lower Windy Hill Parking Area on Portola Road. Midpen's event page has the details.

The second moves toward Alpine Road. Super Seeds & Spores: Early Winter Edition at Windy Hill runs Tuesday, December 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It covers about 3.5 miles, starting at the Willowbrook-Alpine Roadside Parking and following the Meadow and Coal Mine Ridge trails. Midpen lists it here.

The third goes the farthest up Alpine Road. Winter Solstice at Mindego Hill at Russian Ridge Preserve runs Monday, December 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's a 5-mile hike that meets at the Mindego Gateway Parking Area on Alpine Road. Here's the solstice hike page.

For Windy Hill outings you plan yourself, the preserve page posts current trail closures and wet-weather equestrian status. Check it the morning you go.

The season, date by date

Here is everything above in calendar order, so the overlaps are easy to spot:

1. Thursday, November 19: Farmers market, Schoolhouse Parking Lot, 2 to 5 p.m.
2. Saturday, November 21: Fall & Winter Berries hike, Lower Windy Hill Parking Area, noon to 2 p.m.
3. Monday, November 23: Santa's Village at Webb Ranch opens, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
4. Tuesday, November 24: SMCL Bookmobile at the Schoolhouse Parking Lot, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
5. Thursday, November 26: Rossotti's Alpine Inn closed for Thanksgiving.
6. November 27 to 29: Webb Ranch reservations required.
7. Thursday, December 3: Farmers market, 2 to 5 p.m.
8. December 5 and 6: Webb Ranch reservations required.
9. Sunday, December 6: Christ Church Christmas Banquet, 5 to 8 p.m., and Valley Presbyterian's Choral Christmas.
10. Thursday, December 10: Farmers market, 2 to 5 p.m.
11. Sunday, December 13: Gingerbread Decorating Party at Christ Church, 11 a.m. to noon.
12. Tuesday, December 15: Super Seeds & Spores hike, Windy Hill, 9:30 a.m.
13. Thursday, December 17: Farmers market, the last Thursday market on the Town's December calendar.
14. Monday, December 21: Winter Solstice hike at Mindego Hill, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
15. December 24 and 25: Rossotti's Alpine Inn closed.

The list shows how the season tapers off. Once the second Webb Ranch reservation weekend ends, the calendar thins out. The last scheduled Thursday market is December 17, and the solstice walk at Mindego Hill on December 21 is the final guided event of the year in the hills above town.

Holiday weekends here tend to move between the Schoolhouse lot, the tree lot on Alpine Road and the trailheads in between. That's also the kind of local detail I pay attention to when I advise clients. If you're thinking about what your next chapter might look like, whether that's in Portola Valley or nearby, I'd love to talk it over after the December rush. Work with Debbie at Debbie Elowson.