Sawdust, art, and a storybook air give this Laguna Beach festival charm to spare

WHEN WE SEE GIFTS... bunched around the bottom of a fabulous fir tree, we're certain that Christmas must be near. When there are baking ingredients lining a kitchen counter, we can guess that a cookie-baking session is deliciously imminent. And when prodigious piles of sawdust are sitting in front of a famous Laguna Beach destination, a place that's synonymous with creativity, we know that one of California's quaintest and most cottage-y art festivals is just around the corner. That stirring and sawdusty sight returned to the beach-close burg on Nov. 13, according to an Instagram post shared by the Sawdust Art Festival. And it is quite a sight: Fans know that the fabled festival, which had its storied beginning in the 1960s, is preparing for another run when they spy all of that crunchy-underfoot sawdust awaiting its grand entrance. And since it is November, the one coming up — the festival starts on Nov. 17 — will wear a merry mantle, with decorations, goodies, and Santa cameos adding extra cheer.

WINTER FANTASY... is the name for this seasonal engagement, a holly-jolly happening that will pop up over five long weekends, with Fridays playing a part in the shop-around scene. And while the shopping is excellent — handmade wearables, glass pieces, necklaces, and more are some of the goodies you'll find — so is the convivial atmosphere. We said "cottage-y" before and with fine reason: Being inside the Sawdust, with its tiny house-like booths and adorable alleyways, feels downright storybook-ish. Add to that the other touches of the season, like puppet shows, live music, twinkly lights, and other uplifting details, and you might feel like you've entered a scene from an upbeat holiday film or perhaps the cover of a vintage Christmas album, a record filled with all of your favorite carols. A daily ticket, for an adult, is $10; you can find your passage to this enchanting realm here.