Tag archives: holiday

Jews Care About Santa Claus Too
By Gwyn Lurie   |   September 7, 2021

Today’s Community Voices by Janna Zimmer is one I encourage readers, including those who plan for and are elected to serve Santa Barbara County, to read (it’s on page 23). As Zimmer points out, the County of Santa Barbara has scheduled an important hearing to discuss the naturally controversial proposed cannabis dispensary on Santa Claus […]

Our Forefathers, Forecasters? Forthright?
By Gwyn Lurie   |   July 9, 2020

I wrote this letter July 4th-5th, 2020. Growing up, Independence Day was one of my favorite holidays. It was a celebration of the strong shoulders upon which this great nation was built; a celebration of the principles our Founding Fathers fought for and a celebration of the Founding Fathers themselves. The food was great and […]

Christmas Memories
By Lynda Millner   |   January 16, 2020

As the holiday season winds down it reminds me of when we lived in Naples, Italy with our four-year-old daughter Kim and baby son Dane. At Christmas time many families put up a crèche in their homes but these were extra charming. Some would be an entire Italian village with tiny houses, markets, villagers at […]

Noël at the Nesbitts’
By Richard Mineards   |   January 2, 2020

Summerland was turned into a winter wonderland with real snow when polo playing hotel magnate Pat Nesbitt and his wife, Ursula, threw a spectacular holiday bash for 200 guests at Bella Vista, their sprawling polo ranch. The bustling beano, catered once again by the Biltmore, featured ballerinas from Los Angeles dancing to the Nutcracker, eight […]

Montecito Schools’ Holiday Concerts
By Joanne A Calitri   |   January 2, 2020

The Montecito schools held their holiday concerts throughout December celebrating both religious and secular seasonal greetings. Here is the round up from me and Santa. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel School Christmas Program on December 5 at St. Joseph’s Church in Carpinteria showed full on spirit with chorus, band, and […]

Loco For Local and a Happy New Year
By Gwyn Lurie   |   December 26, 2019

As 2019 comes to an end, I’m choosing to focus on what’s right in front of my nose and how grateful I am that Montecito is my home. Today, seated at Merci near Vons in my favorite corner booth (for which I really should be paying rent – thank you Elizabeth and Stephane), before I […]

Having a Holly Jolly Time?
By Ernie Witham   |   December 26, 2019

I looked over my shoulder at the car behind me to see if he would kindly backup. The driver of that car was looking over his shoulder at the car behind him with the same thought. The third driver back started to reverse but stopped when another car pulled in behind him. Ahead of us […]

Hathaway Tree Decorating
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   December 19, 2019

Last Wednesday, December 11, Montecito Association’s Beautification Committee along with Montecito firefighters and kids from Montecito Union School, upheld an over 50-year tradition of decorating the community tree. As mentioned in the Letters to the Editor section of last week’s edition, the festive holiday tradition was born in the early 1960s thanks to then Montecito […]

Montecito Meditation for Solstice
By Steven Libowitz   |   December 19, 2019

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with meditation with Sarah McLean – the 25-year veteran contemporary meditation and mindfulness teacher who co-founded the new Montecito Meditation Center. Participants will be guided into a solstice meditation practice to welcome the dark on the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and let go of what doesn’t […]

Rosewood Miramar’s Holiday Spectacular
By Richard Mineards   |   December 5, 2019

Rosewood Miramar Hotel owner Rick Caruso sure knows how to throw one helluva party! The billionaire mall magnate pulled out all the stops to turn his luxury property into a winter wonderland with his inaugural lighting of the ritzy hostelry’s 60-foot white fir tree on the Great Lawn, which had been trucked in from Mt. […]

Oh What Fun
By Richard Mineards   |   January 2, 2019

Montecito animal activist Gretchen Lieff and her fiancé Miles Hartfeld opened the doors of their charming home for a hopping holiday bash. Social gridlock reigned as the festive guests quaffed wine and champagne and noshed on a cornucopia of comestibles, including Brenden Twigden, Melinda Gandara, Hal and Haley Conklin, Lisa Osborne, Edie Caldwell, Laurie Ashton, […]

Holiday High Notes
By Richard Mineards   |   December 21, 2017

Music director JoAnne Wasserman, marking her 25th year, was clearly in her element when the Santa Barbara Choral Society, celebrating its 70th anniversary, staged its fifth Hallelujah Project at the Lobero. The concert, which included Vivaldi’s magnificent Gloria and, of course, Handel’s uplifting Hallelujah Chorus, was a glorious Yuletide miscellany of seasonal cheer featuring the […]