Tag archives: holidays

A Hanukkah Celebration in Santa Barbara
By Jamie Knee   |   January 7, 2025

On Saturday, December 28, the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara became a beacon of warmth and connection as it hosted a vibrant Hanukkah celebration. Organized by Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey, this gathering brought together over 70 guests for an evening steeped in tradition, music, and joyous camaraderie. With the themes of light and […]

Wines to Match Holiday Fare… and The Nutcracker
By Gabe Saglie   |   January 7, 2025

The ballet, The Nutcracker, is a perennial holiday favorite for its recognizable melodies and a touching storyline set during the Christmas season. This story is an introduction to a multisensory concept that I just put to the test, and with delicious results: Does pairing Tchaikovsky’s sweeping music with wine heighten your enjoyment of it? Or […]

Holiday Cards and Weak Ties?
By Robert Bernstein   |   January 7, 2025

As a secular humanist, I don’t do Christmas. But I enjoy the end of year ritual of sending “holiday” cards. A few dozen people get real cards, and a larger circle get emails. Some of these people are close friends. But some are family and friends with whom I rarely have contact. Sometimes for years […]

Angels Over the Holidays
By Richard Mineards   |   January 7, 2025

Adam’s Angels celebrated their fifth annual Holiday Community event at the Veterans Building when more than 100 volunteers prepared 650 meals of both meat and vegetarian lasagna, salad and dessert to make sure no one was left hungry during Yuletide. A ‘pop up shop’ had racks of new jackets, warm gear and shoes provided by […]

San Ysidro Ranch Festive Holiday Family Event
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 31, 2024

It’s Merry and Bright at the San Ysidro Ranch now through New Year’s, with festive décor, music, and twinkling lights from the resort entrance and throughout the restaurants, cottages, and outdoor gardens. Holiday trees colorfully decorated were placed in key locations and the Speakeasy has an array of 2,500 twinkling ornaments cascading from the ceiling.  […]

Annual Casa del Herrero Holiday Fundraiser Soirée
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 31, 2024

The most looked forward to holiday party behind the hedgerow in Montecito is the Casa del Herrero Soirée, titled Home for the Holidays, held this year on Saturday, December 14.  Upon entering, guests were greeted by lovely ballerinas from the State Street Ballet, celebrating The Nutcracker. Spanish guitar études by Chris Fossek filled the atmosphere. […]

Nutcracker En Pointe
By Richard Mineards   |   December 31, 2024

It was certainly a Nutcracker with a difference when State Street Ballet – alongside the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra conducted by Brian Asher Alhadeff, and a chorus of youngsters from the Music Academy of the West’s Sing! Project and the State Street Ballet Academy – joined in the spectacular production at the Granada. […]

Singing Praises 
By Richard Mineards   |   December 31, 2024

Quire of Voyces under founder and musical director Nathan Kreitzer was in fine form at St. Anthony’s Chapel for its annual Yuletide concert. Traditional favorites like “Away in a Manger” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” were on the menu with the 11-part concert wrapping with “Silent Night.” A joyous afternoon full of Christmas spirit.

SB Rescue Mission Women’s Auxiliary Annual Holiday Tea for Bethel House
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 24, 2024

The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM) Women’s Auxiliary held its annual Bethel House Christmas Tea for its women in recovery program on Wednesday, December 11 at the home of Susan Hughes. Organizing the event were newly appointed SBRM Women’s Auxiliary President Cindy Anderson,with Auxiliary members Dianne Davis, and Kirsten Walters. This beloved holiday celebration for […]

Gifting Along Upper State, the Digital Globe, and Beyond
By Zach Rosen   |   December 24, 2024

The holiday cards are (hopefully) in the mail and the easy gifts have been checked off, wrapped, and lovingly crammed under the tree. But what to do about those harder-to-gift people in your life? Well, here are some options. Happy hunting.  Books are the gift that keeps giving. A literary favorite can be read until […]

Holiday Magic Car Parade
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 24, 2024

Montecito Association Hosts 4th Annual Parade of Lights, Cars, and Holiday Spirit The Montecito Association’s 4th Annual Holiday Car Parade took place on Saturday, December 14 at 5pm. The celebration started at 3 pm in the Upper Village with a Sip ‘n’ Shop and live music by Maitland Ward. Signing up to be in the […]

WEV-traordinary 
By Richard Mineards   |   December 24, 2024

“Extraordinary” was the theme at the Women’s Economic Ventures annual holiday appreciation fête for the League of Extraordinary Women at the downtown eatery Gala. Restaurateur Tara Penke, who catered my 71st birthday bash in July, and organization CEO Nicki Parr celebrated a year of impact for WEV – which has been supporting women in their […]

A Historical Holiday Soirée
By Richard Mineards   |   December 24, 2024

Santa Barbara Historical Museum had more than 300 lunar-tics at the Members Holiday Soirée under a full moon, which also marked the opening of two new exhibitions: The Chair, featuring seating through the ages, and J. Walter Collinge, displaying the photographer’s images of our Eden by the Beach before and after the 1925 earthquake. The […]

A Beautiful Yuletide Voice
By Richard Mineards   |   December 24, 2024

Social gridlock reigned when Santa Barbara Beautiful threw its annual Yuletide bash at the Voice Gallery in La Cumbre Plaza with 100 guests. Since its founding in 1965 the organization has planted 13,000 trees in our Eden by the Beach as well as placing colorful murals in the Library Plaza and the area at the […]

CALM-ing Holiday Tea
By Richard Mineards   |   December 24, 2024

Lobero Associates hosted its annual holiday tea at the University Club while collecting toys for CALM, which fights child abuse. Established in 1972, the associates have raised more than $1.5 million – purchasing a Steinway grand piano, updating the historic theater’s bathrooms and replacing the theater’s ancient curtain, and undertaking innumerable other tasks. Paula Bottiani […]

Mothers’ Helpers: Helping Mothers this Holiday Season and Beyond
By Clarissa Rios   |   December 17, 2024

For the past 15 years, the nonprofit organization Mothers’ Helpers has supported low-income families in Santa Barbara county by providing them access to essential baby items. This holiday season, the organization is hosting a Christmas program that allows community sponsors to purchase and wrap gifts for selected families, bringing a bit of magic and cheer […]

Let There Be Light
By Scott Craig   |   December 17, 2024

The college kicked off the Christmas season with its annual lighting of Kerrwood Hall in a festive event, Let There Be Light, on Dec. 3 as the Westmont community gathered on Kerrwood Lawn. Santa posed for pictures inside the holiday-decorated Kerrwood Hall lobby.  Brad Elliott, campus photographer and Your Westmont contributor, was named the special […]

A Child’s Christmas in Tripoli
By Jeff Wing   |   December 17, 2024

Christmas day of ‘68 began like most days; with a guy bellowing singsong prayers in the dark from a mosque somewhere just off base. The mounted lo-fi bullhorn gave the already mysterioso liturgy a surreal 1930s radio feel – think “Libyan Rudy Vallee” if that helps. If that doesn’t help, I get it.  Though we’d […]

The Annual Hathaway Tree Decorating
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 17, 2024

The annual tradition of decorating the Hathaway Tree at Manning Park was held by the Montecito Association and its Montecito Beautification members, in collaboration with Montecito Fire, on Wednesday, December 4, in the afternoon. There were at least 30 adults, a handful of kids, and two doggies on hand to help, along with water and […]

CVA & Rosewood Miramar’s 2nd Annual CVR Holiday
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 17, 2024

Your Society gal shares with you that Montecito is always the best for parties. Our little town is looking more like Rodeo Drive with our exclusive shops and restaurants, and now with the holiday lights and décor, including a tree and soon a menorah. This year marks the 2nd Annual Coast Village Association’s Holiday Tree […]