Holiday Glee Club
The Examiner asked The City’s songbirds and community chorus members to describe their favorite seasonal music and why it inspires them.
Tembani Abeje, Crowden School fifth-grader
Favorite music: “Let it Snow”
Why: “I like it because it never snows here, but I like to sing about it. I went to Minnesota for a couple weeks when I was about 5 years old, and I saw the snow there and liked snow ever since.”
Who’s in town
Comedian Doug Benson of “The Benson Interruption” performs. [8 p.m., Punch Line Comedy Club, 444 Battery St., S.F.]
Museums
Legion of Honor: Exhibits include “Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism” and “Arthur Szyk: Miniature Paintings and Modern Illuminations.” [9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., 100 34th Ave., S.F.]
Museum of Craft and Design: “Transference,” a kinetic-sound installation created by glass artist Andy Paiko and sound artist Ethan Rose, is the featured exhibit at the museum’s “pop-up” site. [11 a.m. to 7 p.m., 499 Castro St., S.F.]
Tours
North Beach: San Francisco City Guides leads an exploration of the neighborhood known as the home to San Francisco’s Little Italy and Beat generation. [10 a.m., meet at Saints Peter and Paul Church, 666 Filbert St., S.F.]
Life at sea: “Adventures at Sea,” a guided tour of the ship Balclutha, looks at the lives of 19th-century sailors, with a focus on the treacherous Cape Horn passage. [2:15 p.m., Hyde Street Pier, north end of Hyde Street, S.F.]
Movies
Back in the saddle: Teenage Mattie Ross enlists the help of a trigger-happy, drunken U.S. marshal Rooster Cogburn to bring her father’s killer to justice in “True Grit,” a western and remake from the Coen brothers. [Check local listings]
Kurosawa and Mifune: Viz Cinema is presenting a series of Akira Kurosawa’s films featuring Toshiro Mifune. Screening today: “High and Low” (3:30 p.m.) and “Stray Dog” (7:15 p.m.). [1746 Post St., S.F.]
At the public library
Family Kwanzaa night: Event features food, music and an explanation of the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa. [3 to 6 p.m., Bayview Branch, 5075 Third St., S.F.]
‘Baby Rhyme and Playtime’: The session features rhymes, songs and books for kids up to 18 months old. [1:15 p.m., Potrero Branch, 1616 20th St., S.F.]
Local activities
Chinese arts: Shen Yun presents a performance of classical Chinese dance and music with both ancient tales and modern stories. [8 p.m., War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., S.F.]
Holiday circus: Sweet Can Productions presents “Candid,” a 60-minute circus. Traditional circus arts combine with physical theater, dance and music to create a topsy-turvy world. [2 p.m., Dance Mission, 3316 24th St., S.F.]
Northern exposure: The “Reindeer Romp” attraction continues at the San Francisco Zoo through New Year’s Day. Holly, Velvet, Peppermint and Belle are the antlered guests. [10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1 Zoo Road, S.F.]
All aboard: The Conservatory of Flowers presents its “Garden Railway,” an exhibit that re-creates Golden Gate Park sites in miniature with recycled and repurposed materials and dwarf plants. [10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Golden Gate Park, S.F.]
Bird walk: Golden Gate Audubon Society and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy host a “Christmas Bird Walk,” offering a chance to count birds in the Presidio. [7:45 a.m., meet at Crissy Field, across from the Sports Basement, S.F.]
Dining out
Ponzu: Chef Adam Carpenter cooks the cuisine of Asia, and today’s recommendation is the tuna tartare duo — tuna with white-soy vinaigrette and diced avocado with pickled onions and taro chips. Also, look for the yogurt-and-coconut-crusted salmon with sesame-garlic rice, red curry and broccolini. [401 Taylor St., S.F., (415) 775-7979]
