🎁 Christmas Lights, Markets, and Birds

Welcome to your weekly San Fernando Valley update: December 18–24, 2025.

In this week’s NoHo Nick:

• 🦠 Norovirus

• 🛍️ Holiday markets

• 🐉 Pokémon

• 🦜 Birds

Thanks for reading NoHo Nick this year!

I’m genuinely grateful for the support. And I hope you feel more connected to the San Fernando Valley.

Here’s the NoHo Nick 2025 Recap:

• 📩 Emails sent: 50

• 🪴 New readers: 2,819

• 🌳 Total readers: 3,401

• 📧 Emails opened: 71,145

• 🖥️ Links clicked: 16,092

• 📈 Average open rate: 80.7%

• 👉️ Average click-through rate: 20.1%

📕 The most popular event was the Sherman Oaks Friends of the Library Book Sale.

🍔 The most frequently recommended restaurants were Bill’s Hamburgers (Van Nuys) and Bodevi Wine & Espresso Bar (San Fernando).

✍️ The most common reader name is “Leslie.” Followed by David, Alex, and Nicole.

I’ll be off next week. I’ll see you again on January 1, 2026.

Happy Hannukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Blessed Solstice, and Happy New Year!

🌲 Christmas Lights Map

Check out this map of Christmas lights around Los Angeles. (Holidays in SoCal)

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Here’s what’s happening:

🦠 Norovirus surges in LA. Tests show a 154% increase in the city and over 250% increase countywide over three weeks. Cases to rise through April. Norovirus spreads through direct contact, contaminated food or water, and unwashed hands. (ABC7)

🚗 A South LA man has removed 5,000+ cones illegally blocking parking spaces. Joey Morales started his vigilante mission in early 2023 after struggling to find parking. He takes requests from South LA residents to reclaim curb space. Using cones to reserve parking is prohibited without a permit. (CBSLA)

These are my favorite upcoming events:

Ongoing

🌴 SFV Business Directory. Launched last week. I’m featuring dozens of businesses in each neighborhood to help you find cool new spots near you! Thanks for the suggestions. Please keep them coming.

⚾️ Organized Adult Baseball. Join the LA Baseball League Facebook group to get info on joining the 2026 league or to fill in for a player.

☕ Gilmore Girls Studio Tour (Burbank): Step into Stars Hollow dressed for the holidays at Warner Bros. Studio Tour, celebrating the show's 25th anniversary. Nightly light shows. Until January 4, 2026, at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood.

Thursday, December 18

🎹 Synthesizer Holiday Party (Burbank): Synth community holiday jam. Open performance sign-ups, electronic music-making, and a canned-food drive. Free. Thursday, December 18, 2025, from 7 PM to close at Lincoln Beer Company.

🎤  Singer-Songwriter Showcase (Burbank): This showcase features performances from rising local artists. Free. Thursday, December 18, at 7:30 PM at The Roguelike Tavern.

Friday, December 19

😈 Dark Joke Comedy Standup Show (North Hollywood): Dark standup comedy featuring LA's darkest comedian, Jimmy Draxler. Two drink minimum. Free. Friday, December 19, at 10 PM at HAHA Comedy Club.

Saturday, December 20

🌸 Home Goods Holiday Marketplace (Burbank): Local artisan marketplace and sale features unique gifts, decor, and treats. 20% off in-store items. Free plant giveaway for the first 100 customers, coffee, and freshly baked pastries. Free. Saturday, December 20, from 11 AM to 6 PM at Tansy.

⚡ Pokémon Holiday Trade Day (Burbank): Pokémon trading card event featuring special guests, including Pokémon content creator Alex Ketchem and voice actor Rachel Lillis (Mewtwo, Charizard). Giveaways, trading, and autographs. Free. Saturday, December 20, from 12 to 4 PM at Burbank Sportscards.

🛼 Lady Ga Ga Skate Night (Glendale): Roll under disco lights to Lady Gaga's greatest hits at this all-ages themed night. Dress in your best Gaga-inspired look. $23 admission (skate rental $8 extra). Saturday, December 20, from 8 to 11 PM at Moonlight Rollerway.

🦜 Birds & Beer with San Fernando Valley Audubon Society (Van Nuys): Join the 126th annual Christmas Bird Count, one of the world's oldest civic science efforts, followed by data sharing, food, and drinks. Free. Saturday, December 20, from 4:30 to 7 PM at Best Ball Bar, Woodley Lakes Golf Course.

🎵 Music Bingo for Adults (Sherman Oaks): Bingo with a soundtrack from the 50s to the 80s. At the library. Light refreshments and prizes are courtesy of the Sherman Oaks Friends of the Library. Free. Saturday, December 20, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM at Sherman Oaks Branch. 

🎺 Sounds of the Season Holiday Concert (Burbank): The 60-piece Burbank Community Band performs festive holiday favorites, classic carols, and winter music. Free. Saturday, December 20, at 5 PM at First Christian Church of Burbank.

Sunday, December 21

🎸 Psychedelic Acoustic Folk Concert (Woodland Hills): Intimate house concert. Intricate guitar work, dynamic cajón percussion, and improvisational passages. 1.5 hours of live music plus a casual afterparty. $18. Saturday, December 21, from 7 PM to 9 PM.

🚶‍♀️ Farmer's Market Walk (Porter Ranch): Morning group walk to the Porter Ranch Farmers Market. Hosted by SFV Girls Who Walk. Free. Sunday, December 21, walk starts at 10:30 AM, at 20000 Rinaldi St, Porter Ranch, CA.

🎁 Artisan Market (Sylmar): 20+ local vendors offer handcrafted gifts, treats, and unique holiday finds at this open-air market outside Discovery Cube. Pair shopping with the museum's Winter Festival activities inside. Free. Saturday, December 20, and Sunday, December 21, from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Discovery Cube Los Angeles.

🚒 Toy Drive and Firetrucks (Sherman Oaks): Bring an unwrapped gift for kids in need to the fire station—photos with Santa, firetruck climbing, and hot cocoa. RSVP required. Free. Sunday, December 21, 2025, from 9 AM to 12 PM at Fire Station 102, 13200 Burbank Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA.

Happening Soon

🎄 Magical Holiday Parade (Toluca Lake): A 40+ year neighborhood tradition. Festive floats, carolers, dancers, and a glowing train-shaped float. Volunteer or donate to be a part of the magic. Free. Wednesday, December 24, 2025, from 5 PM to 10 PM.

🍖 350 Degree Korean BBQ. (New—North Hollywood). Soft opening. Full opening expected soon. Premium Korean BBQ at just the right temperature. Ribs, premium beef and pork, and lobster tail.

🥃 Whiskey Holiday Party (Lake Balboa): Sample rare bottles from Macallan, Bruichladdich, and Buffalo Trace: fresh-rolled cigars and elevated sandwiches. Live cigar rolling, premium pours, and holiday atmosphere. $60. Friday, December 19, from 5 to 9 PM at Vintage Wine & Spirits, 16938 Saticoy Street, Lake Balboa, CA 91406.

🍸️ Christmas Margaritas (Sherman Oaks) Full holiday mode at Daisy Margarita Bar through January 4. Drinks like a Christmas Tree Margarita with pine needles, a Partridge & Pear Margarita with poached pear and duck fat, a Yule Log Margarita, and a Gingerbread House Margarita Milk Punch. Colorful holiday décor.

🍼 Mothers & Babies Nutrition (Sylmar)

Specialty grocery store stocking prenatal vitamins, organic baby food, and breastfeeding essentials.

Accepts all WIC, EBT, and SNAP benefits with no long lines.

12737 Glenoaks Blvd #9 & #10, Sylmar, CA 91342

🛋️ The Pasadena Antique Warehouse is closing. They’re having an estate sale. Free. Until Friday, December 19, at 5 PM.

🔨 Girls Build Night (Mid City): A gender-inclusive woodworking workshop teaches the basics of using a bandsaw, chop saw, and chisels while building a custom plant stand. $35. Friday, December 19, 2025, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM at Rediscover Center Mid City.

🗳️ Help the Valley Cultural Foundation win $15,000 (They host the concerts in parks).

⛈️ It will probably rain on Christmas in LA.

🎁 The LAist Gift Guide.

🏆️ The Oscars will be streamed on YouTube in 2029.

❓️ What is the median age of a San Fernando Valley resident?

Last week’s question: Scrubs, a beloved medical sitcom, was filmed in a North Hollywood hospital. Which one?

Answer: North Hollywood Medical Center (12629 Riverside Drive). The hospital was demolished in 2011.

Thank you for reading. See you in 2026.

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