It's tough to wrap, but we think the gift of the great outdoors is…well…the greatest. It's also easily taken for granted. So Weekend Sherpa would like to give Merry Christmas cheers to three of the Bay Area's open space stewards: helping to keep our parks open, beautiful, and accessible. Long may you roam.

Space Savers: Created in the early '70s to preserve the "green backdrop of hills…and cool forests in the Coast Range," Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has successfully maintained 550 square miles of welcoming wildland. Nonprofit partners, like POST (Peninsula Open Space Trust), help raise money not only to keep these spaces open, but also to create more. Enjoy some of the lands of their labor at Picchetti Ranch and Winery (pictured) near Cupertino, where easy hiking, roaming peacocks, and an afternoon of wine-tasting go hand in hand. Or take on a more robust 7-mile jaunt through lush Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, traversing fern canyons that stoke distant views of Half Moon Bay and the Pacific. Green backdrop, cool forests, coastal range…Count your blessings!

Winter Wanderland: It's easy to be consumed by man-made development in the East Bay, but thanks to the region's park system, the gift of the great outdoors remains abundant, with 65 regional parks and 1,150 miles of hiking trails. Kudos to the East Bay Regional Park District, a venerable poster child for public parks and trails. Take a ridgeline hike to Wildcat Peak in Tilden Regional Park—the first and largest in the park system. Or grab the dog and take a stroll in the hidden redwood forest of Redwood Regional Park, whose second-growth beauties grow to 150 feet. Over the hills and through the woods!

Green Peace: It's not easy being green. But our beloved San Francisco tries to keep the green growing so that all of us can continue walking, jogging, reading a book, or catching an outdoor live show in an urban park. These pockets of serenity in a city world are more numerous than you may think! In fact, the San Francisco Rec & Parks Department oversees 220 city parks—and new General Manager Jared Blumenfeld is riding his bike to each one. Get a taste of one of Weekend Sherpa's favorite urban hikes by trekking to the top of Buena Vista Park near the Haight, then floating back down…and up again, to amazing city views from the rock outcroppings in Corona Heights Park. Or take a picnic to the highest point in Golden Gate Park, Strawberry Hill. Season's greenings!

How Are You Rolling?

We know it's only Christmas, but the big night is less than a week away. Grab your best friends and get on board for the Napa Valley Wine Train's outrageously fun New Year's Eve Gala. The evening kicks off with a lively reception, replete with sparkling wine, oysters, caviar, and live music. Then relish a five-course gourmet dinner created by Executive Chef Kelly MacDonald, all while rolling through wine country and enjoying the train's beautifully restored railcars. At 11 p.m. the Party at the Station is on! Dance in the new year to the decade-bending classic tunes of Casino Royale (their music will keep you shaking and stirring well past the Midnight Wine Toast).

The Napa Valley Wine Train's Spirited New Year's Eve Gala. Rolling into 2009 soon. Get a move on—tickets are almost sold out!

Tickets start at $75. For more information and reservations, call 800-427-4124 or visit winetrain.com.