Tag archives: holidays

Christmas at the Casa 
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 20, 2022

A wet and windy evening did not derail the annual Christmas at the Casa fundraising event at Casa del Herrero on December 10, as guests were chauffeured from the El Montecito Church parking lot to the event. There we were greeted with elegantly dressed staff who escorted us with umbrellas to the host desk and […]

36th Annual Parade of Lights
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 20, 2022

On Sunday, December 11, the 36th Annual Parade of Lights Boat Show was held at Stearns Wharf and seen along the city beachfront from West to East beaches. The parade was founded by Captain Don Hedden, a former president of the Stearns Wharf Business Association, in 1985 and has since become a holiday favorite.  The […]

11th Annual Richie’s Barber Shop Holiday Donation Drive: This Year for St. Vincent’s and Adam’s Angels
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 13, 2022

Richie’s Barber Shop on Coast Village Road is having its 11th Annual Holiday Donation Drive, this year for St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara and Adam’s Angels. The Shop’s event chair and lead barber Jessica Jay is coordinating with Regina Ruiz, Chief Development Officer of St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara, and with Adam McKaig, who formed Adam’s Angels […]

Holiday Happenings
By Steven Libowitz   |   December 13, 2022

A Christmas ‘Unicorn’: And Now for Something Completely Different… It would be hard to imagine something more polar opposite from a Christmas show than Bulletproof Unicorn, a one-woman show from Los Angeles-based comedian and singer-songwriter Stacie Burrows rife with dark humor about trying to fix her dysfunctional family that culminates in her estranged, alcoholic brother […]

Memories of Theaters Past
By Richard Mineards   |   December 13, 2022

What could be more festive for Yuletide than Charles Dickens’s classic ghost story A Christmas Carol? It is a show dear to my heart as it was the first-ever theater production I saw at the tender age of eight at the Northampton Repertory Theatre in England with a group of classmates from my local prep […]

Welcome to December! We’re very excited to announce our Second Annual Montecito Holiday Magic Parade December 17!
By Sharon Byrne   |   December 6, 2022

We’ll have the coolest classic cars, lit up to brighten the night sky (briefly). We’ll have dancers, singers, and so much fun! The route starts from the Upper Village, and heads down Hot Springs to Coast Village, and then back up Olive Mill to the end. We encourage you to support our local merchants and […]

Soup-ing up the Holidays
By Steven Libowitz   |   December 6, 2022

For a decade, the Organic Soup Kitchen (OSK) hosted community meals on Christmas Day at the Veterans Memorial Building on the Santa Barbara waterfront, serving hundreds of warm nutritious meals to the homeless and others. The event eventually grew to include an appearance by Santa to hand out gifts to people of all ages and […]

Caroling to a New Tune
By Steven Libowitz   |   December 6, 2022

The veteran actor, director, and choreographer Jamie Torcellini is no stranger to Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC), having performed at ETC in The School for Lies and The Mystery of Irma Vep, and directed both Tell Me on a Sunday and The 39 Steps. It’s the latter play that’s most germane, as Torcellini has been enthralled […]

Bubbles and Glitter Riverbench Bubblies Come in Bottles that Shimmer
By Gabe Saglie   |   December 6, 2022

All that glitters may not be gold. But when it comes to these sparkling wine bottles – glittering and bursting with color – the flavors definitely shine. Just in time for the holidays, Riverbench Winery is bringing back this unique festive packaging for its full line of sparkling wines. The “Glitter Bottles” are fully covered […]

Love for the Lower Village: Home for the Holidays Continues Along Coast Village
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   December 6, 2022

The second in a four-part series on shopping locally in Montecito, we’re shining a light on the Lower Village: Montecito’s Coast Village Road and beyond, which has long been a shopping and dining destination for locals and visitors.  Many shops along Coast Village Road are gearing up for the holiday season, decorating their windows and […]

Society Takes Five in Boca
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 6, 2022

Photos by Joanne A Calitri It’s not every Thanksgiving this society gal takes off, but with my hair newly colored by Montecito’s own French Hair Salon expert, Eliane Alexandre International, I was ready to take on the sun-bleached blondes of the Florida coast in true Parisian style. Saving the almost impossible details of getting to […]

Holiday Window Decorating
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 29, 2022

After a two-year hiatus, a contest for holiday window decorating on Coast Village Road is back, marked as the last hurrah for the outgoing Coast Village Association, which is evolving into the Coast Village Improvement Association thanks to the approval of the Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District earlier this year.  Holiday cheer is already […]

A Holiday Circus
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 29, 2022

Santa Barbara’s regular traditional holiday shows such as The Nutcracker and Christmas Revels will be arriving next month, along with sing-along Messiahs and holiday parties. But the highlight of the season just might be taking place even before the calendar flips to December as American Theatre Guild’s Broadway in Santa Barbara series presents A Magical […]

Upper Village Unwrapped: Holiday Shopping Along Montecito’s Upper Side
By Zach Rosen   |   November 29, 2022

The turkey has been put to rest (or maybe it put us to bed), and the holiday season is underway. With so much around our beloved town, it is easy to shop and support local. This is part one of four articles featuring the local stores that make our area so distinct.  This week features […]

Girls Inc. and Cox Communications Partner for 3rd Annual “Operation Holiday Cheer”
By Montecito Journal   |   November 22, 2022

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria is bringing back their wintery gift-giving event, Operation Holiday Cheer. Launched in 2020 and presented by Cox Communications, this program brings gifts and some holiday spirit to local girls and their families that are experiencing economic hardships resulting from the pandemic.  “We are proud to host our 3rd Annual Operation Holiday […]

Hospice’s Light Up a Life
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 22, 2022

After two years lost to the pandemic, Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) is gearing up to once again brighten up the holidays in Santa Barbara and neighboring communities with its 39th annual Light Up a Life. The events – which were offered only virtually in 2020 and 2021 – take place live this year at […]

Holiday Gift Ideas
By Montecito Journal   |   November 21, 2022

A four-carat Colombian emerald set in platinum with diamonds accenting the emerald cut. Silverhorn Design Studio1235 Coast Village RoadMontecito, CA 93108805.969.0442https://www.silverhorn.com/ Unique and luxe Dakota Wine and Picnic Tote, quality made in the U.S. out of cork from Portugal. Paula Parisottohttps://paulaparisotto.com/ Proenza Schouler Dia day bag in leopard print Italian calf-hair with a detachable strap […]

An Irish Christmas
By Lynda Millner   |   January 11, 2022

This was an all-things Irish Christmas party in a lovely downtown venue. You don’t have to be Irish to belong, but most members have some connection. It began with an Irish Christmas toast by Frank McGinity of the American Irish Historical Society. “May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your […]

A Festive Thank You
By Lynda Millner   |   January 11, 2022

The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) held a member appreciation soiree over the holidays. The courtyard looked so festive with all the tables decked out in sparkly gold tablecloths. The tapa table people were busy making tacos and pizza and we were busy eating them. There was a band playing and no COVID worries since […]

Our Town’s 19th Annual Schools Holiday Concerts (Part 2 of 2)
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 28, 2021

Here is a look at four more holiday concerts that provided plenty of holiday cheer as we inch toward the new year: Crane Country Day School The school had a wonderful evening outdoor concert planned for Thursday, December 16 for families only, but as the much-needed rain continued that day, the school made the tough […]