The Home Page | Sandy Beaches and Spirits Aglow

This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on December 10, 2023. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter in your inbox each Sunday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

You can tell how long someone’s been in Santa Barbara by how they refer to our favorite local beachfront resort – home of many luncheons, fundraisers and conferences over the years.The Santa Barbara Association of Realtors held their annual installation and awards luncheon last week at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort aka the DoubleTree aka Fess Parker’s aka the Red Lion. We’ll have a full report of the awards in next week’s paper, but for today, here’s a quote from Oprah Winfrey, as shared at last week’s event by awardee Kelly Knight, shown above surrounded by some of her Village Properties peers: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life. The only way to be truly satisfied, is to do what you believe is great work.” Great work indeed. Congratulations to all of the awardees.

Speaking of favorite local settings, my girlfriends and I took a decadent cue from Leslie Dinaberg’s recent article detailing high tea at the San Ysidro Ranch. We spent last Sunday afternoon celebrating two of our birthdays with dainty sandwiches, sweet and savory scones, tantalizing tarts, and melt-in-your-mouth macarons, all served with a dizzying array of tea choices. The delicacies were dazzling, but the setting stole the show. Good thing we’ve had mild temperatures across the country this week, otherwise this postcard-perfect afternoon in December would be downright cruel to share with anyone east of the Mississippi.

Okay, I’ll admit it. Now that it’s deep in December, and my birthday’s in the rear view mirror, I can’t help myself: I’m getting into the holiday spirit. Predictably each November I scoff at the department stores who can’t wait til Halloween is over to display their green and red decor. I roll my eyes at the folks with trees strapped to the top of their cars the day before Thanksgiving. Then something happens round about the second week of December when, like the grinch, my heart melts a bit and I start humming along with the Christmas carols in the grocery store. If you want to join me and deck your halls, a good place to start is this list from the Skimm blog of ways to turn your home into a Hallmark movie … for under fifty bucks. Snowball garland? Velvety bows? I’ll be shopping just as soon as I pour myself a glass of eggnog. 

If you need a respite from the glitz and shine of the holidays, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and then when you’re feeling relaxed – check out this guide to all things beige, and how to decorate with it. Conjuring visions of an empty sandy beach, these tips from Living Spaces are sure to leave you feeling centered, breezy, and in touch with nature. Beige – or sand, cream, off-white, tan – doesn’t have to be boring. It can be your refuge in the holiday storm.

Did someone say beach? I’ll leave you with this recent photo of Scout at the beach. There’s lots to love about winter in Santa Barbara, and wide open beaches are one of our favorite things. Enjoy some of your favorite things this weekend, and make sure you check out our gift guide and this week’s issue for all of your holiday happenings and houses galore. Enjoy!