It’s beginning to look…

STREET TALK | CYNTHIA TRAINA

Holiday sparkle is officially here. Window displays are brighter than they’ve been in years, and shoppers are already out hunting for early gifts.

At D&M Wines & Liquors, the longtime neighborhood Champagne headquarters, the holiday rush is underway. One-third of their sales this time of year are Champagne — and the selection runs from classic bottles to showstoppers as large as 15 liters (that’s the equivalent of 20 bottles, or about 100 glasses), perfect for catered celebrations. D&M is one of the nation’s largest independent Champagne purveyors. Manager Michael Kennel says Bollinger remains a perennial favorite.

Up at Verve Wine, the team reports a big surge in requests for non-alcoholic celebratory bottles. Their sleeper hit: sparkling teas from Copenhagen. And while some people may be drinking a bit less, all those Pacific Heights wine cellars still need filling. A curated cellar plan, tailored to a person’s taste and upcoming events, has quietly become one of this season’s most luxurious gifts.

SO WHAT’S HOT? At Browser Books, the surprise hit of the season is The Conversation. Bookseller Hannah Metzger says it has had incredible word-of-mouth recommendations, with customers returning for extra copies to give to friends. 

At Sue Fisher King, people are snapping up stocking stuffers, including mini panettones from Dolce & Gabbana, fragrant soaps, lotions and scents from Italy’s Santa Maria Novella, plus candles from Paris’ Christian Tortu. The holiday window displays keep changing as customers buy pieces straight from the windows, sending the team back to recreate new vignettes — sometimes multiple times the same day.

Nest (below) may deserve a prize for this year’s most elaborately creative holiday windows, with two different displays brimming with delicious details.

Just For Fun is bursting with holiday cheer, anchored by a towering tree and a sleeper hit: Nee Dohs. These super-squishy toys come in an array of shapes and sizes and are ideal for adults and kids. They’re the perfect tactile treat for our anxious age.

And there’s fashion, athletic wear, cosmetics and body products galore up and down the street. Plus a windowful of goodies at the new Miette Patisserie (below) and fresh treats daily in the neighborhood’s many bakeries.

COMING & GOING: Margaux has opened a San Francisco outpost offering its stylish but comfortable flat footwear at 2105 Fillmore, just north of California Street. … At the key corner of Fillmore and Pine, the once-modern Noosh interior is officially gone and a Korean barbecue restaurant will soon rise in the space. … South of Geary, Bumzy’s Cookies looked poised for a comeback, but the space — still sporting Bumzy’s hot pink awning — is now for rent. … And Nia Soul has quietly closed, a year after the passing of founder Pia Harris.

HOLIDAY EVENTS: Fillmore’s Holiday Dog Sweater Contest is set for December 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. Check in at the pet hospital corner at Fillmore and Washington. … Legendary importer Kermit Lynn will offer tastes five Champagnes, with Nijiya Market bites, at Verve Wine on December 17. Reserve now. … The Holiday Night Market will be held at 1330 Fillmore on December 19 from 5 to 9 p.m. … Also on December 19, at 7 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian Church presents a Christmas concert featuring a theatrical reading of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.”

Cynthia Traina is a residential realtor with Vantage Realty. Contact her with news or suggestions at CT@CynthiaTraina.com or @PacificHeightsRealtor.

Photographs by Cynthia Traina and Jonathan Pontell (@pontelljonathan).