Journalist By Nature: Putting A Santa in Santa Barbara

Santa and his reindeer arrive

A change in our family composition as the result of a daughter's wedding seemed to be a perfect time to institute a change in our Christmas traditions. It wasn't difficult to leave a foggy 40 degree city knowing that in a mere two hours we would be sporting sunglasses on a sunny 70 degree beach, wearing shirtsleeves.

A spectacular sunset at 30,000 feet, which seemed to last the entire flight, plus a 100 mph tailwind rushed our arrival into Santa Barbara, California by 15 minutes. A smooth ride, a cheerful cabin crew and blessedly quiet children set us up to have some fun with our greeting hostess. Donning Santa hat and reindeer antlers we strolled off the plane with grins to match our excitement at spending a warm, sunny Christmas with another of our daughters. Her laughter-filled greeting said we were in for a fun-filled holiday!

With no time to waste, we headed for the townhouse and a lovely dinner of fish tacos and fresh California oranges. Fortified for an evening's activity list we made for a living Nativity scene at a local Lutheran church to watch camels, burros, sheep and little children mingle with costumed adults depicting the arrival of Baby Jesus. Inside the old Mission-style church was a collection of creches from around the world, each displaying its ethnic twist on the traditional arrangement of characters. It set a fitting ambiance for the Christmas week to follow.

We then strolled up and down a brightly lit section of State Street, the main thoroughfare of town, noting the jumble of shops and businesses that lined the street: Macy's with its tattoo parlor neighbor, Starbucks snuggling next to the CVS drug store, a rowdy night club shaking the walls of a modest clothing store. This was not the clustering of like-minded shops we were used to seeing in Portland. Street people crowded together on the corners sharing music, cigarettes and chatter. As the night temperature dropped into the 40's we headed for home, hot tea and a family visit.

An open bedroom window framed the early morning sun lighting the distant Los Padres National Forest hills, fronted by the red tile roofs of Santa Barbara. Palm trees spiked randomly throughout the scene and the day demanded to begin. The sense of direction was confusing as the coast of Santa Barbara faces south rather than the usual west as does the rest of the U.S. coastline. This orientation provides a consistently sunny sky and warm temperatures year round. The crisp early morning air quickly warmed as we took to the beach for a run (for daughter) and a walk with coffee (for mother). Bougainvillea in red and purple spilled down the beach cliffs high overhead, anchored by palm trees and golden sand at the bright blue skyline. The ocean here is quite calm and the waves modest as they roll onto the sandy beach. A popular early morning activity is dog walking as evidenced by the canines happily racing after balls and seabirds, owners calmly marking the miles with their stride. Such is the daily routine in Santa Barbara.

A joyful Sunday service at the Santa Barbara Community Church gave us an opportunity to sing Christmas caroles with all the verses in an upbeat tempo and to hear the children perform their little program. An open air patio provided a gathering place between services where friends can meet, grab a coffee and introduce visitors.

Leaving the church we headed for the Santa Barbara Mission and rose garden. The mission is under reconstruction, scaffolding housing its bell tower. The arched walkway cast cool shadows as we explored the mission display rooms. The expansive lawn and well-tended rose garden were open to picnics and strolling visitors and I kept having to remind myself that this was Christmastime, sunny California Christmastime!

A drive north to a dusty, chilly draw in the hills brought us to the Cold Spring Tavern for a tri-tip steak sandwich. This is an old stage coach stop with original rustic log houses, mossy roofs and an open barbeque stand that feeds over 800 visitors each day. Locals and visitors flock to this spot for a chance to eat thickly sliced beef stuffed into a crisp roll and drenched with au jus, barbeque sauce and ranch dressing. Since there are no real seats inside, everyone eats these messy sandwiches outside, dripping on the dirt walkway, grabbing more napkins and lining up to wash in the restroom. A four piece band plays country rock inside where meal tickets and drinks are purchased. Bikers with tiny dogs, gawking tourists, trendy young couples and regulars mingle in a crowded square sidestepping the drips and enjoying the buzzing ambiance.

Driving south to Ventura Harbor we met up with a group of friends for dinner and to take a Christmas night light boat tour of the Marina houses that line the north end of the harbor. A jolly boat captain, a dancing bartender and random conversations made the evening bright. The miles of bedecked houses and boats tied at the docks rivaled the Portland Peacock Lane lights.

Our third day was our Christmas present: a cruise to the Channel Islands to spend a day hiking and exploring Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the group. Our ferry left the dock early on this bright and sunny day to make the 19 mile run to the island. We encountered dolphins cavorting alongside the ferry, pelicans diving for breakfast, assorted sea birds and grey whales breaching nearby, tails flipping in the waves. Passengers flocked to the side rails for a glimpse of these huge sea mammals, the ferry dipping slightly in response. Birders, binoculars and long range camera lenses at the ready, spotted many species of wildlife for us. They were on the hunt for the Santa Cruz Island bluejay, unique to the island. Once ashore we received the orienting lecture and reminders to leave no trace of ourselves behind. We shouldered our backpacks and headed up a trail to the cliffs above the ocean, hearing accounts of the early Indian tribe that inhabited the island and the later sheep ranchers that bought the island. Remnants of the ranch remain but the wildlife on the island was greatly impacted by the people who ranched there. It is now a State-run park and the wildlife population is returning to its original species populations, isolated there to become unique animals and birds.

We stopped for a picnic lunch high on the cliff above the bay. We watched as dolphins rounded up schools of fish for their midday meal with Humpback whales closing in for their share. Colorful kayaks were paddled around parts of the island and some people stayed for several days to camp and further explore. Sea caves dot the edges of the island and scuba diving gives opportunities to examine them in closer detail. Our four mile hike up and over one of the hills gave us a good acquaintance with the arid and treeless landscape. There are no streams on the island but there is potable water from a spring, the water being cold and pure and delicious in the hot, dry atmosphere. Our "dessert" at the end of a long day was a lobster dinner at the Enterprise Fish Company on Ventura Harbor.

Never slowing our pace we set Christmas Eve day aside for a long trip north to San Simeon and the Hearst Castle and Ranch. The 150 mile drive took us through the drought-affected hills and lakes, crispy brown vineyards but lush, irrigated ground crops such as strawberries and onions. Cattle grazed on what looked like imaginary grass, there being nothing visible on the hills. We narrowly avoided a traffic accident as motorists carelessly stopped on the highway to photograph the zebras that roam amid the cattle on the Hearst Ranch. The temperature rose to 75 degrees and the breezes softly cooled us as we entered the State-run, highly commercialized Hearst Castle property. Buses carry tourists up the long, winding driveway to the amazing hilltop mansion. There we had a sampling tour of the ground floor areas and then were free to roam the landscaped grounds and pool areas. Security guards are plentiful and constantly remind visitors to not touch ANYTHING except handrails. In spite of their hovering presence it was quite exotic to recline on sofas around the outdoor pool, luxuriating in thoughts of a life beyond our means or even imagination. The castle is a living museum that provides a tour of Europe without having to leave the country. The architect Judith Morgan was the creative power behind Hearst's obsessive collecting of artifacts. Their collaboration of nearly 30 years resulted in a national treasure.

Dawdling as long as we could to enjoy the gardens, guest houses, orange trees, pools, patios and views we returned to our car and headed for Solvang. It is a Danish-themed town with windmills, Danish foods and souvenirs, Christmas trees fronting every shop and no stoplights on the streets. We made a quick tour as the shops were closing for the day and settled on a dinner at a Danish restaurant. It was a fitting end to our holiday excursion as our family has Danish roots of its own.

Christmas morning was a time for sleeping in a bit, enjoying a leisurely breakfast of strong coffee, our traditional stollen Christmas bread and bacon and eggs while Christmas tunes played softly from an iPhone. Modern times, modern means. Wonderful gifts were exchanged and admired and then the discussion turned to how to pack it all home. In the end, the post office won the day with its flat rate packaging. We crammed what we could back into our suitcases and headed for the airport. Hugs and kisses all around left us feeling loved and refreshed after doing something different for Christmas. California is looking good for next year too!