There’s a nip of cold in the canyon air.

Elfin kids play in Town Square’s gingerbread house while their parents line up to see Santa at the Sawdust Art Festival’s Winter Fantasy in Laguna Beach. There’s a marionette show, bubble snow, musicians on three stages, free art classes, twinkling lights and, of course, more than 180 local artists selling original jewelry, paintings, games, ornaments, glass creations.

If you can’t find the right gift for the hard-to-please person on your list here, well, you’ll surely find one for yourself.

The Sawdust started in the ‘60s as a “small town/gypsy camp of artists” and has become an institution in its own right.

Added bonus: The tinkling waterfall beneath the towering eucalyptus trees gives one a sense of one’s place in the universe. Visit 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 22. It’s magical after dark.

Where to go: 935 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, or sawdustartfestival.org/winter/ for information and tickets.

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