30 Dec 2025
A Dash of Holiday Cheer and Unity
Written by Maria McCall Montecito Bank & Trust’s MClub gathered in the Kenny Loggins Community Room at Unity Shoppe for an uplifting afternoon to learn about one of Santa Barbara’s most cherished charities. Executive Director and CEO Angela Miller-Bevan delivered an informative presentation on the organization’s fascinating history, and how today this community cornerstone serves […]
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Honoring Chris Toomey at the Mistletoe Ball
Written by Maria McCall Catholic Charities’ 33rd Annual Mistletoe Ball, held at Birnam Wood, paid warm tribute to honoree Chris Toomey. Bishop Slawomir Szkredka delivered the invocation and special message from Pope Leo XIV. Martin Bell emceed with his signature charm, opening the program by introducing Irish-born Rev. Maurice O’Mahony with a playful limerick. Father […]
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A Sparkling Night at the Santa Barbara Club’s Holiday Boutique
Written by Priscilla The holiday season twinkled to life at the Santa Barbara Club as members – and their equally festive friends from Montecito Bank & Trust’s MClub – gathered for an evening of stylish shopping and seasonal cheer. The Club’s Annual Holiday Boutique featured a marketplace filled with local treasures: dazzling jewelry, handcrafted cards, […]
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23 Dec 2025
A Season of Red: Five Central Coast Bottles to Buy Now
I don’t know about you, but when the calendar flips to December, I start seeing red. Red in the ambient glow of holiday lights, to be sure. And red in my wine glass. Maybe it’s the cooler weather and the darker nights. Or the feel-good buzz of the most festive time of year. Or meals […]
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Art Nouveau Style Lamp
JP sends me a fabulous art nouveau style figural lamp for the table, a nude woman supported by a peacock. The outstretched arm of the woman holds the light fixture: a globe shape, encrusted with jewel-like crystals, that glows when lit. JP is wondering if this is “something.” In the history of lighting design, well, […]
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College Earns $5M for Sacred Stories Project
Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a nearly $5 million grant to Westmont for the college’s Sacred Stories Project, which will uncover, share, and celebrate the vocational journeys of Christian young adults. Westmont joins 60 other U.S. organizations that have received grants through the endowment’s National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life since 2024. The […]
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Certificate in Theological Leadership
Westmont’s inaugural cohort of theological leadership students celebrated their graduation during a special dinner December 4 in Hieronymus Lounge. This was the final event for the eight students who each shared a personal story about the impact of the program before they received their certificate in theological leadership. President Gayle D. Beebe, who taught several […]
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Family Service Agency
One of the major fallouts from the Covid pandemic was the effects of isolation on every member of society. But without question, the segment of the population hardest hit by the closures and other restrictions that took place in 2020-21 were America’s school children. Youngsters whose brains are still developing were yanked out of the […]
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Solstice Song Circle and Other Spirituality Matters
Local community song leaders Heather Stevenson, Alison Zuber, and Amisha Sera Luna are coming together for a special winter solstice song celebration December 19, collaborating to teach and lead participatory call-and-response songs meant to invoke a sense of community and joy. Winter solstice is a time of honoring the darkness and welcoming the slow return […]
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Good Vibrations for Coastal Collaborations
Collaborative, data-focused work is at the center of the Montecito Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s (Montecito GSA) activities and their Groundwater Sustainability Plan. Public or private wells that provide direct access to the groundwater supply can be used to collect needed data. In addition to public wells owned by Montecito Water District, more than 50 private wells […]
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Infrastructure, Safety, and Community Updates at December Board Meeting
The Montecito Association Board met in December to receive updates on major regional infrastructure projects, public safety initiatives, school programs, and ongoing community outreach efforts, while also taking formal action on key policy matters affecting the community. The agenda was focused on the upcoming Highway 101 Santa Barbara North segment. Representatives from the Santa Barbara […]
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Homer’s Odyssey
Tommy Bahama, Chaps, Ralph Lauren, Coach, A/X Armani Exchange, Ralph Lauren Footwear – Homer Montecito founder Terry Pillow has been around the block. More recently, the gentleman has rediscovered what the block is for. “Yeah, we sit outside,” Terry sings in his unhurried, melodious accent. The man’s southern purr is a rocks glass of barrel-aged […]
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What the MEC? Downtown’s Musical Jewel Box
When Michael Holliday, Lawrence Scarpa, and Angela Brooks were juggling their T-squares, balsa wood, and glue guns at the University of Florida in Gainesville (go Gators), they likely didn’t foresee the momentous project on which they would be collaborating in far-flung 2025. Even as these architects-in-training made final preparations to enter the profession, some 2,500 […]
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Holiday Event Calendar
Hanukkah Menorah Lightings -Rosewood Miramar Beach,1759 S. Jameson Lane, Montecito. Menorah Lighting December 14 through December 22, 5 pm each day, lobby area. Enjoy delicious treats, the lighting of the Menorah, and stories of hope and resilience in a festive atmosphere that welcomes all to share in the tradition. Free. Christmas Time Festivities -Our Lady […]
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Hand-colored Lithograph of a Kākāpō
Considered critically endangered today, the Kākāpō is a nocturnal flightless parrot endemic to New Zealand. Captured in a hand-colored lithograph, this particular Kākāpō belongs to the 1873 book A History of the Birds of New Zealand by Walter Lawry Buller. Buller wrote from a desire to record a complete life history of his homeland’s interesting […]
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Supervisor Capps’ Re-election Campaign, Victories, and the Road Ahead
It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since then Santa Barbara School Board Member Laura Capps threw her hat in the ring to challenge then 1st District County Supervisor Das Williams for his seat on the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors. Laura didn’t win, but she came a lot closer to defeating her veteran […]
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Rabbi Chaim Loschak and Mushkie Have Arrived
I’m having a conversation with Rabbi Chaim Loschak – founder with his wife Mushkie of Montecito Chabad – and it’s impossible not to notice that he is bouncing his right leg at a frequency suggestive either of two strong cups of coffee, or the anticipatory effect on his physiology of a frenetic day ahead. I’m […]
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Casa del Herrero’s Annual Home for the Holidays
This year, the Casa del Herrero Annual Home for the Holidays event was held on Saturday, December 15, as a late afternoon cocktail reception from 3 to 5 pm, instead of its usual formal gala evening holiday event. This provided opportunities for guests to tour the gardens and buildings in late afternoon daylight to view […]
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SB Rescue Women’s Auxiliary Holiday Tea for Bethel House
The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM) Women’s Auxiliary Annual Bethel House Christmas Tea for its women in recovery was held on Wednesday, December 10 at the home of Susan Hughes. The event has been a holiday happening for over ten years. This much-anticipated holiday tea with goodies is fully supported by the women members of […]
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Everybody’s Irish for Xmas when Kerry Comes to Town
When Kerry Irish Productions founder Margaret O’Carroll moved to Los Angeles from the hills of her native County Kerry many years ago, she wasn’t able to find any sort of regular productions of anything Irish or Celtic around Christmastime in the bustling metropolis. So she decided to create something of her own. The one-time Irish […]
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