December 1, 2018: Wine Country Town of Los Olivos, in Santa Barbara...

Los Olivos, CA (http://www.losolivosca.com), the historic, wine-hip Santa Ynez Valley town in the heart of Santa Barbara's wine region, will usher in the holidays with its Olde Fashioned Christmas event (http://www.losolivosca.com/los-olivos-olde-fashioned-christmas) on Saturday, December 1, 2018. One of the largest of Los Olivos' annual events, Olde Fashioned Christmas welcomes locals and visitors to a small-town, Victorian-era holiday celebration, with season-appropriate family-friendly activities and experiences for all ages.

The day-long holiday happening begins at 11:00 AM with the opening of this year's inaugural Holiday Market, an open-air shopping opportunity showcasing gift-able artisan goods by nearly two dozen artists and vendors. Open houses at Los Olivos businesses throughout town - such as Los Olivos' fabled plethora of wine tasting rooms, wine and beer bars, plus restaurants and boutiques - will treat guests to special deals, live music, holiday nibbles and tipples through extended evening hours, with doors open until 8:00 PM, while Christmas carolers stroll the village's main streets. Holiday revelers will cross paths with the sauntering singers, as a town-wide Christmas Treasure Hunt gets underway at 2:00 PM.

Los Olivos landmark, St. Mark's-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, transforms into a Christmas fantasy basecamp with its Gingerbread Wonderland (4:00 PM-8:00 PM; https://www.smitv.org/gingerbread-wonderland.html), plus visits - and photo opps - with Santa Claus in the St. Mark's Parlor (4:00 PM-end). The Gingerbread Wonderland at St. Mark's features a hall full of the famous edible architecture; all houses are decorated by local artisans and school children.

More photo memories may be made in the Santa Ynez Valley Grange Hall, where character meet-and-greets will entertain children from 4:00 PM-8:00 PM.

The Summerset Farm & Dale's "Train" Will Ferry kids, and their parents, through the twinkling-lit town (4:30 PM-end), and the official lighting of the Los Olivos "Christmas Tree" at the flagpole in the center of all of the action, is set for 6:00 PM, with accompanying Christmas music in the adjacent park, and food trucks strategically stationed throughout "downtown" Los Olivos.

"Olde Fashioned Christmas introduces visitors to a whole new dimension of this wine country burg. Sure, we're known for our wine tasting, but this event literally shines light on what life and celebrations might have been like during the town's founding period. Our decorated Victorian structures and country roads create as atmospheric a holiday scene as you could ever hope for, and we've loaded that setting with unique shopping opportunities, lots of food and cheer, and family fun," said Liz Dodder, Executive Director of the Los Olivos Chamber of Commerce.

Olde Fashioned Christmas is produced by the Los Olivos Chamber of Commerce (http://www.losolivosca.com/about/lochamber/), a volunteer organization which funds town services such as maintenance for the village's central flagpole, public restroom facilities and trash removal.

Current "Olde Fashioned Christmas" sponsors are as follows; additional sponsors will be announced as the event nears and will be listed on the event's web page (http://www.losolivosca.com/los-olivos-olde-fashioned-christmas/) or on the Facebook event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/678761539147104/):

Visit Santa Ynez Valley; a santé Spa; The Bear and Star; The Bubble Shack; Fess Parker Wine Country Inn; Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard; Epiphany Cellars; Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation; Larner Vineyard & Winery; Los Olivos General Store; Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café; Montecito Bank & Trust; Mission Sanitation; St. Mark's-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church; and Stafford's Famous Chocolates.

Located just a couple of hours north of Los Angeles, the walkable - and Instagram-able - Santa Ynez Valley town of Los Olivos boasts an abundance of wine tasting options; wine, beer and craft cocktail bars; foodie havens in the town's restaurants and gourmet culinary counters; art galleries and carefully-curated boutique shopping for clothing, accessories and home décor - both new and vintage; plus, luxury lodging and an equally luxurious spa. Many of the town's businesses are housed in 100-year-old buildings, which have been meticulously maintained.

Los Olivos also hosts other seasonal, family-friendly events like winter and summer Block Parties, and the fall harvest festival, Day in the Country (October 20, 2018; http://www.losolivosca.com/day-in-the-country/). Additional information about Los Olivos may be found at LosOlivosCA.com, including a brief history of the Western town. Los Olivos is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, at facebook.com/losolivosca, twitter.com/losolivosca and @losolivosca (https://www.instagram.com/losolivosca/).

For further information about Los Olivos' December 1 Olde Fashioned Christmas festival, please contact Anna Ferguson-Sparks, Stiletto Marketing, at 1.877.327.2656 or info [at] stilettomarketing [dot] com.

About Los Olivos, CA

Located in the vista-filled Santa Ynez Valley, the charming, historic town of Los Olivos is a rewarding and relaxing weekend getaway or fun-filled day. Founded in 1887 as a stop on the stagecoach route from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo, Los Olivos is noted for its support of the arts, wine tasting opportunities, unique shopping, epicurean restaurants, seasonal festivals, antiques, recreational landscapes, and friendly village residents. Boasting expansive views of Santa Barbara County's vineyards and horse ranches, Foxen Canyon Wine Trail starts in Los Olivos and stretches north, winding its way through the rolling hills of California's Central Coast.

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