Terry Ortega Is Our Titan of ’Tis

When Terry Ortega started working as the calendar editor of this newspaper in October 2013, one of her first major duties was curating our annual ’Tis the Season guide to holiday events. Her seventh year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, turned out to be the weirdest, but she was happy to see Santa Barbara show resilience in the digital realm.

“The creativity in the virtual events that have been created has surprised me as well as the safety measures in place for in-person happenings,” said Ortega. “It is obvious how much people in all communities need to connect.”

What’s her plan for Christmas? “I will continue to stay safe in S.B., in my small family bubble,” she said, “and continue to be grateful for those in my life, and for the safely distanced porch parties that began in March and will go down in history as the most fun had with the least amount of people.”