Sawdust Winter Fantasy Fa, La, Las in Laguna Beach

One-of-a-kind finds in a fairy-tale-y shop-and-stroll setting? Yes and yes.

SUMMERTIME IN LAGUNA BEACH? You know there's probably going to be some sand in your shoes, if you're lucky. You know you'll probably grab a latte at some point, or a fish taco, and you'll settle in to enjoy a June Gloom morning (that's the latte part of the equation) or a sunset at 9 p.m. (hello, fish taco dinner). And you'll be in shorts, or a sundress, and maybe barefoot, and you'll be talking about going to watch people hold poses inside famous masterpieces or the Festival of Arts or the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival, one of the stalwarts of the California summer craft-tacular calendar. It can trace its origins back to the late '60s, and its storybook village set-up feels as though it has roots in that aspirational era, too. But not long after the summer festivals started, something else magical arose, and it dovetailed well with the architecture of the festival: Sawdust Winter Fantasy. It's the holiday version of the summer fun time, though to merely call it that doesn't delve deeply enough into its individual charms. You can see those charms for yourself every weekend through...

SUNDAY, DEC. 17, 2017: That's when the Winter Fantasy flies off, in its enchanted sleigh, for another year. But before then? Browse the one-of-a-kind, too-funky-to-pass-up goods created by 175 artisans, and pick out the perfect piece of blown glass or beach photography for the person you want to delight the most this season. There's a good chance that the artist is in the booth, too, so you may be able to meet the artwork's creator. And as for the cooler-weather'd fest's aforementioned "individual charms"? Think entertainment with a fa, la, la flavor, Santa sightings, "thousands of holiday decorations," and lots of other warm-the-cockles, only-at-the-Sawdust sights.

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