Last Saturday, we went to Union Square in San Francisco for some Christmas fun. What we didn’t expect to see is so many Santas! But it wasn’t random; SantaCon was in full force – a bar crawl in festive Christmas costumes. We also saw many elves and The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who! It was fun to see the sea of reds, whites, and greens. I was so tempted to ask a few ‘Santas’ if I could take a photo but chickened out. Watching children ice skate evoked wonderful memories of taking our son and daughter when they were little. Precious memories! After several hours of walking around the Square and lunch at The Cheesecake Factory in Macy’s on the eighth floor, we headed for The Embarcadero to take in the hustle and bustle in The Ferry Building. I couldn’t resist photos of the festivities in general, so here we go:

We had such a wonderful day to add to our holiday celebrations, then the trifecta of tragedies occurred over the course of the weekend. Our emotions were confused. They didn’t know whether to jump for joy from a great day in the city and for our safety, or to surrender to sorrow, feeling deep sadness for the loss, hate, and violence. Honestly, we felt a little of both. And our hearts ache for those who are grieving, especially during this time when the hope is for all to revel in joy. We help in ways that we can, and I hope you all do the same. Any gesture of kindness will make a difference. I wish I could take in all the people who are hurting, not to mention, all the animals that are suffering. I wish I could. And I wish love would prevail over hate…all hope can’t be lost, but it sure flounders at times…

On a lighter note, I pulled a couple poems from my post here to conclude:

This jingle jolly
season delights young hearts as
they bake cookies for
the white-bearded man in red
joy through the eyes of children

‘Tis the season to
be with family and friends
bringing joy to hearts
for their company is the
best gift of all to receive

❤️

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Thanks for stopping by. I have a couple more posts before ‘breaking for the holidays’ with my last on the 23rd.
I wish you happiness, love, good health, and safety.
From my heart to yours, Lauren ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Author and poet, Lauren Scott, enjoys small-town living in the Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Their adult son and daughter live out of state, and with frequent visits and technology, the family of four remains close. Lauren has published four poetry collections, a memoir, and her first children’s book. Her latest poetry collection is a tribute to her family’s Chocolate Labrador who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in spring 2025. Lauren is a recent Pushcart Nominee and has been a guest on several podcasts. Her writing is featured on Spillwords Press where she was voted Author of the Month and garnered Publication of the Month awards. She is a contributing author in several anthologies, and her work is also shared on Gobblers and Masticadores. Her muse discovers inspiration from her family, spending time outdoors, reveling in simple things, and marveling at the mysteries of life.