Now that we’re getting closer to the actual Christmas holiday, weekend events are slowing down just a tiny bit (most of the bigger holiday events are scheduled earlier in the month), but you’ll still be able to find plenty to do over the next few days — if you aren’t otherwise occupied with shopping, decorating or getting your family out of town before the holiday.
For your morning coffee option on Saturday, Full Service Coffee, 4450 Beverly Blvd., will provide an extra incentive to get your engine running with a pit stop by a replica ’65 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350, which will be on site from 10am to 2pm. The car being showcased was built by The original Venice crew @ovcmustangs in 2015, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Mustang. The original the Shelby GT350 Competition model was designed and built in Venice, CA, in 1965. 50 years later, in honor of the anniversary of the Ford Mustang, Jim Marietta and his original crew of mechanics came together to reimagine and rebuild the famous championship race car. The result was the car you’ll see on Saturday, built to competition specs with modifications designed by the legendary Peter Brock. And if that’s not enough to pull you in, the neighborhood coffee stop will also once again be featuring tamales by The Tamale Shoppe, back by popular demand!
Knowles Karate Academy, 4378 W. 3rd St., will hold its Third Annual Pot Luck Holiday Party, from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bring a dish to share and enjoy food, music and laughs with the Academy’s students, staff and friends. There will also be an “imitate the instructors contest,” and a friends and family class from 10-11:15 a.m., before the party starts.
At 2 p.m., the family would definitely enjoy the New Beverly theater’s (7165 Beverly Blvd.) screening of the holiday classic, The Muppet Christmas Carol (which will also run at the same time on Sunday). This will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by the decidedly NOT family-friendly double feature of Faster, Pussycat, Kill, Kill! and, at 9:30 p.m., Motorpsycho…along with a midnight show of Christmas Evil.
On Saturday evening, Brooksiders will enjoy the neighborhood’s annual Holiday Wagon Ride & Neighborhood Caroling party, starting at 6:00 p.m. at 835 S. Tremaine. There will be hosted sweets, cocoa and adult beverages, with a special guest appearance by Santa Claus.
On Sunday morning, starting at 10 a.m., traditions of another sort will be celebrated at LACMA’s special opening ceremony for the exhibit The Jeweled Isle: Art from Sri Lanka. There will be an oil lamp lighting ceremony followed by traditional drumming and Sri Lankan dances by the Sri Lanka Foundation Performing Arts and Thath Jith Dance Company.
Just a few blocks east, starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Miracle Mile Toy Hall , 5464 Wilshire Blvd., will welcome a special holiday performance by the Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s Traveling Show. Tickets are available at http://www.miraclemiletoyhall.com/events
A bit later, from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, head over to Larchmont Blvd., where Landis Gifts and Stationery, 138 N. Larchmont Blvd., will have a calligrapher on site to personalize your holiday gift tags and ornaments.
Then, starting at 1 p.m., it’s back to the Miracle Mile for Unnatural Disasters with Merion Estes & Howard N. Fox at the Craft and Folk Art Museum.  Curator Howard N. Fox and exhibiting artist Merion Estes will present “an intimate conversation about Estes’ history with the Pattern and Decoration art movement and the feminist movements of the 1970s and ‘80s,” in conjunction with the current exhibition, Merion Estes: Unnatural Disasters. The talk is free with museum entry, but space is limited, so please reply to [email protected] if you’d like to attend.
Later on Sunday, take the kids back to Larchmont, where the Snooknuk Arts Cafe, 506 N. Larchmont Blvd., will host a big holiday event, starting at 4 p.m., including a Christmas bazaar, bouncy house, face painting, play time with the Grinch, Santa’s elves, ornament decorating, balloon twisting, Christmas shopping, and the usual indoor playground and cafe. Tickets are $20 for three hours of fun.
And finally on Sunday, for some feel-good holiday nostalgia, you can return to the NewBev, which will be spreading more holiday cheer with a double feature, starting at 7:30 p.m., of Miracle on 34th St. (1947 version) and Santa Claus the Movie.
Have a great weekend!
