SeeCalifornia.com

Holiday travel is always a dodgy proposition. My brother asked me how the roads would be between L.A. and Central Coast this week due to the fires in Ventura and Santa Barbara. While most roads appear to be open (refer to dot.ca.gov) little would he have imagined that his family would be departing their home in Atlanta greeted by one of the biggest airline travel messes in the Atlanta airport’s recent history due to power failures.

The show must go on. Don’t cancel your California Christmas, unless you must!

With what’s poised to become the biggest fire in California’s recent recorded history the annual Santa Barbara Revels was forced to cancel several shows this past week.  (Santa Barbara Zoo has been closed for several days, too.) However, in true holiday spirit (along with really bad air quality) the final Revels production takes place on December 19, 2017, 7:30 p.m. at the Lobero.

Santa Barbara Revels and Oakland’s Christmas Revels are Venetian celebrations of a Winter Solstice, which takes place on December 21. To catch the Revels on Solstice Day you’ll have to travel to Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, which hosts productions over several weeks. See revels.org

California Winter Solstice

Filoli in Woodside hosts a Winter Solstice celebration on Dec.21, 2017.

Mission San Juan Bautista Mission annually pays homage to Winter Solstice on Dec.21. The public is invited to watch the light of sunrise come into the chapel at 7 a.m. weather permitting. See the oldmissionsjb.com Sunsday Bulletin.

In an interesting side note, Santa Barbara also hosts a huge, annual Summer Solstice Festival and Parade.