Miles of hiking trails, family-run wineries, and plenty of holiday cheer make the Santa Cruz Mountains a great destination for festive fun. Here are three places to stroll, sip and celebrate the season.

Does Christmas get more merry with wine, or do wineries get more merry with Christmas? New this year, the Christmas Tree Wine Trail in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Seven wineries, four cafes, and three Christmas tree farms have partnered up for one jolly good time. Taste wine in an old schoolhouse at Burrell School Vineyards (pictured), where award-winning wines have names like "Detention Zinfandel" and "Extra Credit Cab Franc." Generosa Winery—with two regulation bocce courts—is an intimate tasting room that's only open for four more days! (Get great deals on their wines before they close their doors for good.) And definitely don't bah-humbug Loma Prieta Winery; at 2,300 feet it has the best view: a southern panorama of Monterey Bay. Along the way, stop and roam the Christmas-tree farms. Patchen's two locations have holiday hoopla from Santa to free cider to homemade gifts. Frosty's has complimentary hot chocolate and candy canes. Radonich Ranch rounds out the trio. Hurry on your way! The Christmas Tree Wine Trail ends Dec. 20. Thumpity thump thump….

The epicenter of the action is Summit Rd., east of Highway 17. Pick up a Christmas Tree Wine Trail map at one of the participating wineries. For tasting room hours and prices, visit each winery's Web site.

If strolling where you sip suits your style, head to Saratoga's Savannah Chanelle Vineyards, a sunny 58-acre hilltop winery that's been around for more than a century. The current owners, Mike and Kellie Ballard, have restored the old redwood barn tasting room and the rustic yet modern atmosphere is as pleasing to the eyes as the estate grown chardonnays and zinfandels are to the palate. Take a break from tasting to meander among vines dating back to the 1920s. Or get deeper into the property by following a trail found to the right of the barn; walk among towering redwoods and alongside a creek for about 15 minutes, until reaching the old Pourroy Ranch, where the winery originated back in the 1800s (look for the remembrance plaque).

Savannah Chanelle Vineyards, 23600 Big Basin Way, Saratoga; 408-741-2934. The winery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's $10 to taste. There's no marked trail among the vineyards. To get back to Pourroy Ranch, follow the wide trail back to the right of the tasting room barn.

On a "wow" ratio (a scientific equation of number of "wows" divided by the number of people on the trails), Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve is near the top of the list for the Bay Area. Few open spaces provide as many Peninsula-packed panoramas, with so little foot traffic. A 3.5-mile loop begins as a nice walk along an exposed fire road and transforms into a horizon-filled wonderland along a ridge. The views soon give way to a canopied trail of gnarled and mossy live oaks. It's a pleasant change of pace that pops out to more golden hills, and unencumbered views from the Pacific all the way to the Diablo range. Top off the hike at the tallest point in the preserve, Borel Hill (2,572 feet). Afterwards head to Thomas Fogarty Winery just a few miles up the road. Sample estate pinots in their tasting room and take in even more views—from Palo Alto to Mount Hamilton. Wow.

Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve is west of Palo Alto on Highway 35. For directions, visit the Web site. Pick up a map from the kiosk in the parking lot and walk up the Ridge Trail. After .5-mile follow the sign left toward the Ancient Oaks Trail. Turn right at .8-mile following more signs to get onto Ancient Oaks. After 1.5 miles, turn right onto the Mindego Ridge Trail. Turn right at the next junction, following the sign toward the Ridge Trail. At the following junction, turn right onto the Ridge Trail and follow the wide fire road up to Borel Hill. The parking lot is another .75-mile down the trail. No dogs. Thomas Fogarty Winery, 19501 Skyline Blvd., Woodside; 650-851-6777. The winery is 2.5 miles north on Highway 35. Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's $8 to taste three wines and $12 to taste five wines.

It's mid-December and you know what that means. Time to brainstorm New Year's resolutions. Top on the list: an exercise routine, expanding your social network, and supporting a good cause. How about getting all three in one! Get your wheels turning on the 2010 AIDS/LifeCycle: a seven-day (June 6-12) fully supported cycling tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles benefiting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. This life-changing ride—not a race—travels through some of California's most beautiful countryside: lush farmland, coastal vistas on Highway 1, and quiet country roads. Sign up and you'll have access to top-level training ride leaders advising on equipment, safety, and what to expect on the ride. Regularly scheduled training rides will give structure to your training—and introduce you to like-minded new friends. For the main event volunteer roadies will take care of all your needs (gear transport, rest stops, bike tech, food, and that extra boost of encouragement when you need it). Feel like a pro as strangers cheer you roadside. Ready to get started? Attend an informal AIDS/LifeCycle introductory meeting tonight (Dec. 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.) to learn how you can reward yourself by helping others. Enjoy the ride.

BONUS: Weekend Sherpa subscribers receive $20 off the registration fee.

The next AIDS/LifeCycle information meeting is tonight, Dec. 10, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at its San Francisco headquarters: 995 Market St., third floor. There is also a meeting tonight at the same time in Sacramento at the Bicycle Kitchen: 1915 I St.