If you're drawing a blank on how to spend another weekend in quar, we're pleased to present you with our latest batch of social distancing-compliant ideas. Read on for the full list, from ways to observe National Cocoa Day (like with hot chocolate bombs from Ice Queen Like List ) to a Black Santa Parade Past Event Like List in Southeast, and from a Hanukkah Pop-Up Past Event Like List at Baker & Spice to our local shopping guide Like List . For even more options, read our guides to the best online events this week Like List and the best movies to watch this week Like List .

Jump to: Food & Drink | Holidays | Shopping | Other Picks & Happenings

FOOD & DRINK

Drink hot chocolate. Sunday is National Cocoa Day. Why not observe this holiday by sipping some sort of chocolaty concoction as the strains of the Vince Guaraldi Trio play gently in the background? If you'd like to venture beyond Swiss Miss, try hot chocolate bombs, one of the latest trends sweeping TikTok—you simply drop a sphere into a mug of warmed milk and watch the chocolate dissolve to reveal hot cocoa mix and pillowy marshmallows. The native- and Chicana-owned plant-based frozen dessert shop Ice Queen Like List is selling jumbo lavender hot chocolate bombs made with organic fair trade chocolate and vegan white chocolate, Momo Cocoa lavender hot chocolate mix, Dandies vegan marshmallows, and purple vegan sprinkles. The playful bakery Unicorn Bakeshop Like List is also getting in on the trend with their own sparkly gold-dusted version. If you're up for a project that involves tempering chocolate, you can also create your own with a tutorial like this one (a great homemade gift idea). More classic cocoa options include Cup and Bar Like List 's rich version made with Ranger chocolate syrup and Moonstruck Like List 's dreamy drinking chocolate.

Have an Italian comfort food night. Comfort food is having a big moment right now, and two local restaurants have recently released new offerings that bring saucy Italian goodness right to your home. Gabriel Rucker's celebrated Canard Like List has temporarily morphed into Dirty Bird Dinner Club, a shop serving luxe duck and chanterelle take-and-bake lasagna (with optional seasonal salad and duck fat garlic toast for extra decadence) and bottles of wine to go. And the recently opened East Coast-style sandwich shop Lottie and Zula's Like List has launched a weekly Sunday Supper with three different nostalgic five-course takeout dinners of "hometown Italian American classics," such as baked ziti, manicotti, chicken parmesan, Caesar salad, garlic bread, chicken marsala, spaghetti with clam sauce, veggie lasagna, and tiramisu. (The series starts this week, but you have to order a week in advance, so place your orders for next week!) Suzette Smith also recommends Detroit-style Boxcar Pizza Like List and Pop Pizza Like List in the latest edition of her Takeout Club column, and we've rounded up a list of other comfort food options Like List around town, like the take-and-bake vegetarian pasta from Ava Gene's Like List . Pair your feast with a Sopranos viewing or an Italian-American favorite like Moonstruck or Big Night—check out Seattle International Film Festival's page for more suggestions.

Make your quarantine festive with the Portland Mercury Holiday Food & Drink Guide! Take it away, Wm. Steven Humphrey: "While the tragedies, injustices, and overall bad vibes of 2020 is threatening to ruin this holiday season, Portlanders are especially adept at making chicken salad out of chicken shit—so why not shoot for the most festive quarantine ever? 'Oh, wow, good idea,' you sarcastically smirk. 'How in the holy hell are we supposed to do that?' This is where the 2020 Mercury Food & Drink Guide rides to the rescue! Nothing says 'festive'—even during the most trying of times—like delicious food, desserts, snacks, booze, and weed. And this year's Food & Drink Guide has all that and more! Herein you'll find out how to make a delicious holiday meal for less than 15 bucks, the best takeout options in the city, ordering your quarantine-friendly Hanukkah dinner, the best Chinese takeout, where to get the most divine side dishes in Portland, and where to grab 'n' go from our local BIPOC-owned restaurants. And you better believe there's more! We'll also teach you how to bake your own weed-tastic holiday edibles, advise you on stocking the perfect boozy bar, and (because you're eternally generous) show you how to help and access the Portland organizations who are feeding those in need." While we're on the subject, don't forget to check out our roundup of holiday dinners for takeout Like List .

Other notable weekend events:

Lionheart Presents: Bubbles + Oysters Market Past Event Like List
Slurp fresh Pacific Northwest oysters and enjoy ceviche from Flying Fish Company alongside fizzy wine flights from Willamette Wine Concierge.
Lionheart Coffee Company, Southwest (Saturday)

HOLIDAYS

Sitting on Santa's lap is canceled this year, but the man in the red suit has access to Zoom and can take note of your kid's holiday wishes remotely or in a socially distanced fashion. The kind sir who usually spreads cheer at Nordstrom will make 15-minute video calls for $20 a pop, and he's also scooping up Christmas letters for free through December 20 at every location across the country. Macy's virtual Santaland, which includes calls with Kris Kringle, also reigns on. There's also Portable North Pole, where Santa records personalized messages for children with the help of his elves, the JingleRing, which connects kids to an inclusive array of Clauses to fit their needs, including Black Santa and ASL Santa, and Mad Greek Deli's free 10-minute meetings. If your little ones (or you, an adult) are dying to catch a glimpse of Santa in person without exchanging germs, you can do so in the parking lot of the Tabor Heights Methodist Church, where Leroy Barber, Portland's most famous Black Santa, hangs out in an inflatable bubble and invites families to drive up for socially distanced photos. He won't be there until December 19-20, but this Saturday you can catch him in a parade through East Portland Past Event Like List . Santa's also at Lloyd Center's Santaland for six-feet-apart photos through Christmas Eve, as well as Oaks Park's Cinnamon Bear Holiday Show Past Event Like List and the Vancouver Mall's Christmas Story-inspired augmented reality setup Past Event Like List .

Hanukkah has officially rolled in with jelly-filled sufganiyot, chocolate gelt, and menorah lightings celebrating the triumph of the Maccabees and a very miraculous bit of oil. The holiday runs through December 18 this year, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate safely in the Northwest, including several drive-in menorah lightings in Seattle, as well as food and drink specials for takeout. Read our full roundup here Like List .

See holiday lights. If the string of bulbs you have hanging over your window cheers you up in this particularly dreary time of year, imagine the SAD Lamp-adjacent power of the millions of LED lights arranged in the likeness of wild animals at the Oregon Zoo's drive-through ZooLights Past Event Like List display (open daily through January 10, with the exception of Christmas Day). Other COVID-safe options this year include the Winter Wonderland at the Portland International Raceway Past Event Like List , which has also moved its operations to drive-through only and opens this Friday through January 2. The Portland Christmas Ships Past Event Like List have also returned to the Columbia and Willamette rivers to cheer up on-shore bystanders and lucky people who live on houseboats. 

Visit a Christmas tree lot. With December just a couple of days away, now is a perfectly acceptable time to fill your home with the scent of aromatic pine needles that will possess your cat, if you have one. If you don't trust yourself with an axe, a handful of nearby lots are open for the season with pre-cut options, like the Southwest nursery and cafe Cornell Farm, which offers a variety of firs ranging from four to nine feet, as well as a cafe with takeout options and a holiday gift shop. If you want your tree delivered, opt for Nob Hill Christmas Trees, which has locations in Northwest and Oregon City and opened their in-person lot on Friday. Over in Northeast, the L'Arche Portland Hollywood Christmas Tree Lot Like List (in the Grocery Outlet parking lot) returned for the 30th year last Friday and offers a variety of Noble, Douglas, Grand, and Nordmann firs. There's also Birds and Bees, which has cut Doug firs and potted spruces, and Blackthorn, which has partnered with Mainescape Lawncare to bring you Noble firs for pickup. Hip Chicks Do Wine Like List also carries a limited selection of festive Giffords Flowers arrangements that you can add to your wine order. 

Other notable weekend events:

Chanukah Drive-In Past Event Like List
Chabad of Northeast Portland will zazz up your fourth night of Hanukkah with a menorah lighting, a live musical performance from Dreidelman to the Maccabeats, a game show, and a movie screening, all on a big screen that you can enjoy from the safety of your car. 
Lloyd Corporate Plaza, Northeast (Sunday)

Clackamas County Winter Fair Past Event Like List
Escape from reality and into a brief quarter-mile wonderland in the form of a sparkly light tunnel that you can drive through in your car. Christmas sounds and visits from socially distanced Santa will sweeten the deal. 
Clackamas County Fairgrounds, Canby (Friday-Sunday)

Drive-By Christmas on the Campground Past Event Like List
Enjoy thousands of lights, a life-sized nativity scene, and towering Christmas trees from the safety of your car.
5414 SE Duke Street (Friday-Sunday)

Hanukkah Pop-Up Past Event Like List
The small-batch bakery Baker & Spice will host a pop-up with sufganiyot and other Hanukkah treats.
Baker & Spice, Southwest (Friday)

Nutcracker Vignettes Past Event Like List
Drive or walk by the Classical Ballet Academy's Nutcracker Vignettes, which boasts sugarplum scenes and other festive pieces by local artists Vinnie Angel, Mark Molchan, and Ralph Welker.
7400 SE 31st Ave, Southeast (Saturday)

Starkwood Holiday Lighting Past Event Like List
Portland's Starkwood neighborhood carries out its 60-year tradition by lighting up every night through New Year's Day.
Starkwood, Southeast (Saturday)

Winterland PDX Past Event Like List
Check out wintery window art displays all around Portland made by local artist Mike Bennett and a team of local BIPOC makers. 
Various locations (Friday-Sunday) 

SHOPPING

Shopping small and supporting local businesses is even more important than ever in the year of COVID-19. To help you with that, we've rounded up Like List a selection of our favorite food gifts, restaurant and bar merch, novelty items, and other things to buy for your family and friends (or yourself!) this holiday season. Note that you're advised to buy early—many deadlines for on-time shipping are this weekend—to guarantee your gifts arrive on time, but many of the places on our list also offer in-person shopping or curbside pickup. For more ideas, check out our sister site the Portland Mercury's holiday gift guide, or check out the Crafty Wonderland Virtual Market Past Event Like List (Sat), the Virtual Portland Indigenous Marketplace Past Event Like List (Sat), the Coopers Hall-iday Market Past Event Like List (Fri-Sun), or a Holiday Gift Pickup Past Event Like List at Frontier Public House (Fri-Sun).

Buying art off the walls of a gallery seems like something that only happens in movies about rich people, but that doesn't have to be the case! In addition to buying pieces layaway-style, which many local galleries allow for upon request, purchasing mini works is a great, cost-conscious way to go if you're looking to gift something to a very special someone who loves gallery hopping. 301 Gallery is Hood River may be a bit farther than you want to travel, but they're having an online holiday raffle whose prize is a gift basket filled with small gems by local artists, including three glass ornaments by Kris Joy and an 8x10 print by Jen Smith. The Roux Poster Show Past Event Like List , running through December 30, is another great option, featuring 11x17 food and drink-inspired works by 15 artists from around the world that you can purchase online. Last but not least, PDX Contemporary Art's Winter Pop-Up Past Event Like List , runs through December 17.

Other notable weekend events:

Voodoo Catbox Annual Holiday Show & Sale! Past Event Like List
Need to up your music poster game? Local printmakers Voodoo Catbox will sell their screenprints through Christmas Eve. If you buy two, you get the third free.
Music Millennium, Southeast (Friday-Sunday)

OTHER PICKS & HAPPENINGS

Get high and sing karaoke while you watch octopi dissections on YouTube. Our sister site The Stranger's High-Brr-Nation column, which graces Slog every Friday at exactly 4:20 pm, invites you to take a bong rip, a special brownie nibble, or a luxurious dab at the end of a long week and join resident editorial staff as they also get high and do stuff at home. Last week, Rich Smith regaled you with his long love of food vids. The week before, Jasmyne Keimig belted Mistki's "Nobody" in virtual karaoke. Make it a part of your Friday tradition.