5 Places in SF to Spend Christmas That Aren’t a Relatives’ House

It’s almost Christmas. A time when you’re forced to spend time with people you’ve successfully spent all year avoiding, and need to stuff your face, and drink your weight in egg nog to get through it. Or maybe not, maybe you love, and get along with your family, and look forward to this gathering of friends and relatives. Except uncle Dan, that guy sucks. Or maybe you’re Jewish, or a Jehovah’s Witness, or a member of the church of the flying spaghetti monster. If, for any reason at all, you need an x-cuse to x-cape from X-mas (uncle Dan), here are 5 Places in SF to Spend Christmas That Aren’t a Relatives’ House.

1. Jewish You a Merry Christmas

Nothing says “I don’t celebrate Christmas” more than a Jewish family at a Chinese restaurant. If you choose to spend your night with the chosen ones, look no further than The 23rd Annual Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, Jewish comedy on Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant. Featuring Wendy Liebman, Dana Eagle, Mike Fine, and Lisa Geduldig, this night of winter laughs will fill your heart with the real joy of the holiday season; not having to go to work.

2. When You Help Others, You Can’t Help Helping Yourself

Whether you celebrate the Yuletide or not, we can all agree that helping the less fortunate is a good thing all year round. Unless you’re the grinch (pre-heart growing) or Donald Trump. Spend this Friday with fellow good deed do-ers preparing food, giving out clothes, or just being a friendly face to brighten a fellow human spirit. Click here to find volunteer opportunities in San Francisco.

3. Nature and Stuff

Spend December 25th surrounded by the beauty and life you’ve been missing, not bombarded by ironically ugly Christmas sweaters everywhere you turn, at the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. It’s free to all on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, so you can stroll around this 55-acre living plant outdoor museum all day (until closing) basking in SF’s version of a Winter Wonderland.

4. Let’s All Go to the Movies

The movies are a great place to enjoy your government sanctioned day off surrounded by other like-minded cinephiles. Tons of movies are released on, and around Christmas, so you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy more than “A Christmas Story” on TV for the millionth time. And if you haven’t seen Star Wars yet, now is the perfect time, as the die-hardest fans have already seen it, and will most likely be spending their Christmases blogging about their theories and posting spoilers on Facebook. (Spoiler Alert: The Force wakes up). Click here to see what’s playing at a theater near you.

5. An Acid Flashback You’ll Want to Have

Most things about Christmas are already pretty trippy; flying reindeer, fat bearded home invaders, fa la la la-ing, so imagining an X-mas on Acid isn’t really that far of a stretch. See how much x-citement you can jam in your X-mas at ACID XMAS, a night of dancing, DJs, and the best drug there is; music! Featuring sound masters Anthony Mansfield, Vin Sol, Mike Bee, and special guests!