By Dan Lieberman, @LiebermanTweets

Holiday Train: The holiday season on the Peninsula doesn’t really start until the Holiday Train rolls into town. Thankfully, this weekend it will make its appearance with Santa, Rudolph, and the whole gang. Saturday the train pulls into Burlingame, Redwood City, Mountain View and Santa Clara, while Millbrae, San Mateo, Menlo Park and Sunnyvale are on deck for Sunday. In addition to the train, there will be entertainment at the stations, from Core Taekwondo to the South Bay Railroad Museum. Expect fun for all ages and a wonderful time.

Redwood City Hometown Holidays: If you don’t believe there’s a thing as too much holiday spirit, Redwood City is the place to be this Saturday, December 2, as they celebrate Hometown Holidays. The festivities kick off at 10 a.m., and feature a parade (at which SamTrans has a special appearance), a tree lighting, and a special appearance by the Holiday Train at 6:10 p.m. And as always, take Caltrain to the Redwood City Station, because nothing ruins the mood like looking for parking for 45 minutes.

Ancestral Cartographic Rituals: If it’s still too soon to allow the holiday season to swallow all of December, the Stanford Department of Art and Art History has got you. James Luna and Denise Uyehara are presenting “Ancestral Cartographic Rituals” on tonight, November 29, at 7:30 p.m., a work that looks at Native American art, music and culture through the lens of how DNA testing changes perceptions of cultural identity. Take Caltrain to the Palo Alto Transit Center, and the Marguerite Shuttle will get you to campus free of charge.