From the oldest societies straight to today, an annual turn toward renewal has been celebrated, and in these challenging times, that celebration is as important as ever.

No need to look far afield to find an event that suits one’s needs. Sonoma and Napa are up to the challenge. Readers may have a look at these wonderful local celebrations of the turn toward good times.

British Dance Invasion

In recent years, the Flamingo—once the favored getaway spot of my mom—has taken its midcentury resort vibes and turned them into an ethos of cool. It is not an aesthetic with this place; it is a way of life. Regular dance nights and chill out events have become a must do experience as the pandemic has waned. So it is fitting that one of the most happening NYE parties would be right here.

Right on point with the retro aesthetic, one can get set for an invasion of favorite British artists and bands, as spun by DJ Armin. It is recommended to dress in British best for a costume contest with prizes. Tickets are limited and on sale now. Admission includes a complimentary glass of champagne for a midnight toast.

8 pm, Saturday, Dec. 31, the Vintage Space at the Flamingo Resort, 2777 4th St., Santa Rosa. $80. Spots can be reserved at tudorrosetearoom.com/nye-british-invasion.

Pop-up ‘Miracle’

Need to get a fix a little earlier in the day to make sure to start New Year’s Eve pre-filled with joy? One could bounce on over to the Napa Yard beer garden at Oxbow Gardens for the holiday pop-up bar, Miracle.

Growing in reputation, Miracle’s xmas-xplosion vibe and wacky cocktails invade choice spots around the Bay, including the Flamingo in Santa Rosa and Brewster’s in Petaluma. This season is the first time the hyper-spirited meta-cocktails will be slung in Napa.

The holiday oasis is overflowing with kitschy festive décor, right down to the glassware and a themed cocktail menu, with fan favorite cocktails such as Christmapolitan, Snowball Old-Fashioned, Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r!, Jingle Balls Nog, Nice Shot and Naughty Shot. On my visit, I had a warm Christmas Carol Barrel while my buddy sipped Grandma Got Run Over By A T-Rex from a ceramic dinosaur.

And for even more motivation, at the end of this year’s season, Miracle will donate 10% of all proceeds from the sale of selected signature glassware to the Seva Foundation, a global nonprofit eye-care organization that works with local communities around the world.

Hours vary, now until Dec. 31, ​​Napa Yard Oxbow Gardens, 585 1st St., Napa. Closed Mondays.

Royal Jelly Jive

In this humble writer’s opinion, there is no dance party like a Royal Jelly Jive dance party. More on this phenomenally fun band in the next issue, but rest assured that the humid-in-one’s-clothes, NOLA-inspired band that puts the fun in funk is one the best tickets around. As keyboardist and band energizer bunny Jesse Lemme Adams said, “Some of our biggest shows have been New Year’s Eve shows.” This band has the big sound for it, and anyone who has been to the Mystic knows that the place knows how to party.

I am sworn to secrecy, but expect some guest appearances by other local luminaries from the Americana+ scene.

Doors 7pm, show 9pm, Saturday, Dec. 31, Mystic Theater, 23 Petaluma Blvd. N, Petaluma. $40. For tickets, go to mystictheatre.com.

Mischief Masquerade

The North Bay Cabaret is always a rollicking good time, a natural fit for the biggest night of the year. Whiskey Tip has ample indoor and outdoor space that allows for different simultaneous activities, like a multi-DJ silent disco dance party and a variety show featuring more than 15 performers, including special guest Jamie DeWolf. DeWolf is a notorious spoken word performance artist whose provocative hilarity has become a signature feature of North Bay Cabaret events.

Live local music will be featured, headlined by The Crux, plus Audio Angel, and Joshua James Jackson & The Dream Team.

The event was canceled last year due to the Omicron surge, so it is especially exciting to see the annual NYE Cabaret back for its sixth year, with its unique twist on art and live entertainment.

Doors at 6pm, variety show at 7pm, live music at 10pm, Saturday, Dec. 31, Whiskey Tip, 1910 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa. Tickets are $85 at the door if available or $75 in advance at the Whiskey Tip, the Next Record Store or online at northbayevents.com.

Dawn Ranch

Those feeling the need for dinner and dancing all in one spot may like to hit Dawn Ranch in Guerneville.

DJs will be playing all night, starting with that dinner music vibe that one has to have to really celebrate. At 10pm, the party switches, the tables get kicked over (please check with venue before any table kicking) and a dance party breaks out with funky, groovy and soulful vibes on the turntables, courtesy of DJ Timote and DJ Bank$hot.

This is a sit down event from 8 till 10pm, followed by dancing until 1am. A champagne toast will be given at the stroke of midnight.

8 pm, Saturday, Dec. 31, Dawn Ranch, 16467 Hwy 116, Guerneville. $150 per diner.
Reservations may be booked at dawnranch.bpt.me.

John Courage Trio

On the other hand, if one is looking for cool-as-hell, no frills rockin’ and clockin’ sweaty night out, they’ll be heading to Healdsburg for John Courage. Called by the Bohemian “one of the most recognizable figures on Sonoma County’s music scene,” Courage’s current musical incarnation might be more down tempo and bluesy than in the past, but one can bet the originals and covers will be steamy, passionate and full of Sonoma verve. It’s recommended to dress in layers, since a lot of the fun space here is out of doors.

9 pm, Saturday, Dec. 31, the Elephant in the Room, 177A Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. $20 at the door.

Experiences are the stuff of life. Stuff is just stuff. Given time, most objects gifted this holiday season are bound to end up in the waste management facility, a secondhand store or listed as a “freebie” on Facebook.

Rather than a gift that takes up space in the back of the closet, an experience gift will always have a place in sweet memory. Here are some practical to out-of-the-gift-box experience ideas from local businesses and organizations around the North Bay. Each offers a unique opportunity to connect with the world—and each other—in ways that last, long after the gift wrap is gone.

Petaluma Pottery Community Studio

If one’s bestie marathons The Great Pottery Throw Down but is not sure how to get more involved with ceramics, one may give them a push to try Petaluma Pottery (petalumapottery.com/classes). The charming storefront workshop offers semi-private lessons of two to four similarly skilled people for $40 per hour per person.

Lessons provided focus on either wheel throwing or the even more ancient art of handbuilding. Throwing a pot on the wheel may be the ultimate of ceramic excitement; but word to the wise, in a handbuilding lesson, one is much more likely to leave with a finished piece of pottery.

Petaluma Pottery has events and more specific classes that would make a great gift, like Date Night, where one can “learn the basics of making pottery on the wheel with your best friend, a date or your mom.” Bringing a date could be amazing, just like Ghost. Cost: $96 covers two people. One can expect to fire one or two pieces.

Or one may consider the perhaps more kid-friendly one-day class, Handbuilt Cookie Trays. Stephanie LeBaudour demonstrates handbuilding techniques, then leads the class through making their own slab-built trays. Cost: $58.

Triple Creek Horse Outfit

The kind of person who will most appreciate an experience gift may also be the kind of person who would like to use that gift to connect deeply with nature. How about on horseback being guided through “some of the finest riding trails in the world”?

Since 2003, Triple Creek Horse Outfit has been leading horseback tours of Jack London Historical State Park. Riders will be immersed in the pristine redwood forests around Glen Ellen. The guided rides start at one hour and can be much longer for those who wish to see the tree from Empire Strikes Back, or the other landmarks and vistas in the park.

One-hour guided rides cost $155 per rider, with a two-rider minimum. One can learn more at the Triple Creek Horse Outfit website, triplecreekhorseoutfit.com/prices.

Escape Rooms

An escape room, for those who have not yet had the pleasure, is a full-scale puzzle set up across one or more locked rooms. Often a party collaborates on the solution to unlock the first room, only to find a second room presenting a new set of puzzles to be solved.

Race60, the escape room at the Windsor Bowling Center (windsorbowl.com/escape-rooms) does an especially good job at presenting immersive themes, which is one of the most charming parts about escape rooms.

In addition to the adventure rooms offered with dungeon, prison, and space themes, the “Inventor’s Workshop” room provides a thoughtfully realized puzzle through the playful imagination of the inventor, all in a Victorian detective theme.

Costs are $30 per person; recommended ages are 12 and up. Groups are encouraged but not essential.

Session Climbing’s Monkey Academy

For those who have little ones with some monkeys in them to work out, they may look no further than the Monkey Academy at Session Climbing gym in Santa Rosa. The gym is kid-friendly, and kids under 12 climb free with a member. The academy hosts an eight-week class which teaches the fundamentals of rock climbing to kids ages six to 17. Kids will practice technique and learn problem-solving skills for getting up the rock. Correct working with rope is covered.

Fee is $350 per climber, with all equipment included. One may register at Session Climbing, sessionclimbing.com/youth-climbing/#MonkeyAcademy.

Healdsburg Art Class

Another option is to give one’s children a gift that will open their eyes to their own talent: the six-week Teen/Tween Studio Art program at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, taught by Kelley Ebeling. The focus will be on painting, drawing and mixed-media in a studio setting. A range of disciplines will be covered, from collage to figure drawing to simple still life to landscape painting in various media. Sign ups can be made at Healdsburg Center for the Arts, healdsburgcenterforthearts.org/classes-workshops. Price is $195 for the six-week session.

Fiber Circle Studio Textile Workshop in Peru

Ok, here is an idea. One may consider sending a loved one to Peru. Fiber Circle Studio in Petaluma—which is much loved in the fiber artist community—organizes a wool dyeing and spinning travel experience in the Andes. Participants will work alongside local partner artisans creating original work and preparing skeins of handspun yarn to bring home.

The group’s hotel is breathtaking, the local food and sights, no less so. One may discover “a Pachamanca lunch prepared in an earth oven in the community of Patacancha” and explore the Andes with guides.

Beginners are welcome. The educational portions of the workshop are as much for new fiber artists as for advanced fiber artists. One may sign up at fibercirclestudio.com/products/textile-worshop-in-peru for a $2,625 mostly all inclusive once in a lifetime experience. Or one may check out Fiber Circle’s many other workshops and events.

Parks Pass

For those looking for a more on-budget experience with a big impact, nothing can beat a good old Sonoma County Parks Pass. The cost of $69 opens up a friend or favored uncle to all the wonders of the Sonoma County Regional Park system. That’s free parking at all of Sonoma Coast’s beaches and up and down the Russian River. And this is not to mention local jewels covered by the pass, like Helen Putnam in Petaluma, Spring Lake in Santa Rosa and Doran Beach in Bodega.

General memberships are $69, senior memberships are $49 and ADA Access memberships are $29. One can give a gift membership by going to the Sonoma County Parks website at parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/become-a-member/gift-memberships.

Giving the gift of a lifetime can be as simple as buying someone the time and permission to go and do in the world. To be somewhere where just being there is enough. So that the stuff of life is about experience and not more stuff. This is needed in communities and families, so hopefully one of the gift ideas here will inspire the gift of a lifetime to someone who is loved.