Happy Tuesday, Irvine. In today’s edition: Sawdust Art Festival Winter Fantasy, The Nutcracker for Kids, free library art classes, and more.

Let’s get to it — Cait Baker

📰 In the news

Multiple OC issues intensify: Veterans urge Newsom to jumpstart Orange County’s first veterans cemetery as food insecurity rises, city council vacancies roil Cypress and Aliso Viejo, and Fullerton advances a whippet sales ban — read the full story.

Winter creativity for all ages: Orange County Public Libraries hosts free art classes, with sessions Dec. 8, 10, 13, and 18 at branches in Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, Costa Mesa, and Dana Point — see dates and locations.

High school pact lives on: Orange County’s Last Man Society marked 50 years at Thanksgiving, reuniting friends from 1976 who gather annually to toast with 1976 cognac and letters for the eventual last man — read the full story.

Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.

Scams are rampant: My step-dad recently got a call from someone pretending to be his grandson, all beat up and asking for bail money. They knew his grandson’s name, how old he is, and what city he lives in. How? Data brokers. They sell your info to anyone willing to pay for it (yup… anyone). Incogni removes your info from all of those sites so scammers can’t use it against you. Cyber Monday discounts are available all week — check ’em out here.

Highlights this week

• Enjoy candlelit stroll, music and Santa
• Experience Laguna’s magical Sawdust Winter Fantasy
• Give new toys to 2/11 Marines’ families
• Free evening holiday fun at Santa’s Village
• Restore the Upper Newport Bay salt marsh
• Need new windows? Check out RBA’s latest deals

🫶 We got your back

A sparkling community celebration: Illuminate Irvine returns to the Great Park’s Palm Court this Saturday, Dec. 6, 3–8 p.m., with twinkling lights, live music, kids’ crafts, and the tree lighting alongside Santa and Mrs. Claus. Admission and parking are free. Bring a new unwrapped toy for the Irvine 2/11 Marine Adoption Committee toy drive. Holidayz at the Park runs nightly, Dec. 6–Jan. 4. Get all the details.

Honoring community contributions: Know a neighbor or local group making Irvine better? The City is taking nominations for its Wall of Recognition, celebrating impactful residents and organizations. Submit a completed application by December 30. Details and the application are on the City of Irvine website. Get details and the application.

Morning burrito mood-lift: When mornings need a win, the breakfast burrito at Burnt Crumbs delivers: eggs, cheddar, breakfast potatoes, grilled onions, cilantro crema, pico, plus your choice of carne asada, bacon, sausage, or pastrami hash. It fuels emails, school drop-offs, and whatever Irvine tosses your way.

An emergency vet visit could cost you $7,000+ (ask me how I know 🙃). From the initial fee just to be seen to x-rays, surgery, medicine, and aftercare, it adds up quicker than a chew toy turns into a crime scene. The good news? You could get up to 90% cash back on your vet bill with this pet insurance plan.

Wellness on easy mode: Most probiotics don’t work because they dissolve too early. Seed’s double capsule design means all the right stuff gets delivered to all the right places… at the right time. After decades of gut issues, it’s one of the few things that’s actually helped. Their Daily Essentials Duo covers nutrient gaps and supports everyday health + it’s 40% off right now so it’s a great time to give it a try.

📆 Around town this week

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

This week

🎶 Lil’ Dickens Carolers @ Roger’s Gardens | Tuesday (12/2) at 9:00am – Stroll Roger’s Gardens with a cup of something warm while a quartet of carolers trails you with classics, sacred standards, and a little jazzy mischief. It is shopping, but with harmonies, twinkle lights, and zero mall chaos. Festive, charming, and blissfully low effort.

🎬 Christmas Market – Tuesday Movie Nights @ Old World Biergarten | Tuesday (12/2) at 5:30pm – Old World’s German village is hosting Tuesday movie nights, with classics like Elf and Polar Express on the big screen, plus bratwurst, glühwein, and twinkly lights. Bring the crew, browse the stalls, pretend you came for the kids, stay for the cozy.

🦢 Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake @ Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall | Thursday (12/4) at 8:00pm – Take a break from the endless errands and sink into Ravel’s jazzy sparkle, Miller’s serene Swim, and the delicious drama of Swan Lake, led by Tianyi Liu, with Alexandra Dariescu at the piano. Pre-concert chat with KUSC’s Alan Chapman, no tutus required.

🎨 Sawdust Art Festival 35th Annual Winter Fantasy @ Sawdust Art Festival | Friday (12/5) at 11:00am – Ready to trade the mall stampede for Laguna’s Sawdust Winter Fantasy? Wander the eucalyptus grove turned winter wonderland, shop one-of-a-kind gifts from nearly 200 local artists, then sip, snack, and chat with makers over live music, hands-on making, and the obligatory Santa selfie.

🍸 Mixology at Muzeo Holiday Edition @ Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center | Friday (12/5) at 6:30pm – Shake, stir, and sip your way into the holidays with seasonally inspired cocktails inside one of Anaheim’s coolest museums. You’ll learn how to build festive classics (and a few new party tricks) while enjoying your creations, light bites, and recipe cards to take home.

This weekend

🩰 The Nutcracker for Kids @ Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall | Saturday (12/6) at 10:00am – Want to win Best Grown-Up status? Take the kids to a narrated Nutcracker with Pacific Symphony, dancers from ABT’s Gillespie School, plus lobby crafts and an instrument petting zoo. Limited Choral Terrace seats are behind the stage, and tickets are phone-only through the box office.

🍪 Holiday Cookie Decorating @ Marriott Irvine Spectrum | Saturday (12/6) at 2:00pm – Trade your kitchen chaos for cookie zen at Marriott Irvine Spectrum, where the kids decorate, you supervise, and your ticket includes an adult drink. Frostings, sprinkles, holiday movies, and snacks are provided, and accompanying parents are free because you’ve paid in crumbs all year.

🏖️ Christmas at the Beach @ Beach City Provisions | Saturday (12/6) at 3:00pm – Only in Huntington Beach do you meet Santa on a jet ski, roast s’mores, and launch the kids into a bounce-house sugar coma. Join beach cleanup to get on the nice list, maybe win a tree, then karaoke and a short holiday flick.

🎵 Human Growth Foundation (HGF) Holiday Concert @ Yorba Linda Cultural Arts Center – Virginia De Land Theater | Saturday (12/6) at 7:30pm – Skip ugly sweaters for a holiday concert that sparkles, courtesy of the Human Growth Foundation. Full of music you actually want to hear, and supporting people living with growth disorders, it pairs nicely with your good shoes, a glass of red, and minimal small talk.

🧶 Patchwork Show Tustin @ Old Town Tustin | Sunday (12/7) at 11:00am – Holiday shopping without the mall migraine, with Old Town charm. Stroll Patchwork’s local maker market, then pop over to the Tustin Flea for vintage finds, food trucks, and DIY fun, all in a walkable loop that’s free to roam, family friendly, and dog approved.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 12/2 Lil’ Dickens Carolers @ Roger’s Gardens – 9 am
• 12/2 Concordia University Commercial Music Concert @ Campus JAX – 6:30 pm
• 12/2 Ray Vaughn @ House of Blues – 7 pm
• 12/5 Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas @ Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center – 7 pm
• 12/5 Pretty Pape$ @ House of Blues – 7 pm
• 12/5 The Springsteen Experience @ Campus JAX – 8 pm
• 12/6 The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show @ Embassy Suites by Hilton Anaheim Orange – 6 pm
• 12/6 Simon Drew Quintet @ The Sanctuary Studio – 7:30 pm