Who’s in town
Sue Grafton: Bestselling author visits Kepler’s Books for a meet-and-greet book-signing session. “V Is for Vengeance” is her latest Kinsey Millhone novel. [7 p.m., Kepler’s Books and Magazines, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Lectures
James C. Hormel: The author, LGBT-rights activist, and former U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg talks about his battle to become the nation’s first openly gay ambassador. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Building heights: Architects discuss their experience with 68-foot-tall buildings, a height for which a large swath of San Francisco’s Eastern Neighborhoods Area Plans is now zoned. [12:30 p.m., SPUR, 654 Mission St., S.F.]
At the museums
California Academy of Sciences: Holiday attractions include “Reindeer Rendezvous,” which offers an up-close experience with live reindeer, and “Holiday Quest,” a game-show-style program. [9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Golden Gate Park, S.F.]
Contemporary Jewish Museum: Exhibitions include “Houdini: Art and Magic” and “Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations.” [11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 736 Mission St., S.F.]
At the colleges
Art sale: Art Department Holiday Sale features handmade gifts crafted by art students. [9 a.m. to 7 p.m., SFSU, Fine Arts building, first floor, 1600 Holloway Ave., S.F.]
Nursing program: USF’s School of Nursing presents an overview of its master’s and doctoral degree options. The meeting is designed for both RNs and non-nurses. [4 p.m., USF, Lone Mountain Room 203, 2800 Turk Blvd., S.F.]
At the public library
Aging positively: The library’s Access Services hosts “Staying Engaged for a Lifetime,” a course focusing on how to age positively as social relationships change. [1:30 p.m., Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Room, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]
Local activities
Salsa dancing: DanceSF.com presents “Salsa Mondays,” a night of beginner (7 p.m.) and intermediate (8:30 p.m.) salsa-dancing lessons, followed by a salsa party. [Rockit Room, 406 Clement St., S.F.]
Two trios: The Sundra Manning Trio, featuring R&B artist Manning on keyboards, and the Russo Albert Trio, featuring Albert playing jazz bass, perform. Bring an unwrapped toy for a toy drive. [8 p.m., Yoshi’s, 1330 Fillmore St., S.F.]
Artist books: The Book Club of California presents “Beyond the Text,” an exhibit of artist-created books from the collection of Robert J. Ruben. [10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 312 Sutter St., Suite 500, S.F.]
Sing-along movie: “Sing-A-Long Sound of Music,” an audience-participatory version of the 1965 musical film, screens at the Castro Theatre. Costumes are encouraged. A preshow leads things off. [7 p.m., 429 Castro St., S.F.]
Tree lot: The Guardsmen’s annual Christmas Tree Lot features trees, ornaments, and wreaths. Proceeds benefit programs for at-risk youth. [9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, S.F.]
Ice rinks: Skating is happening at the Embarcadero and Union Square rinks. Sessions (90 minutes) start on every even hour. [Embarcadero: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Justin Herman Plaza, 1 Market St., S.F.; Union Square: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Powell and Post streets, S.F.]
