The time is the evening of Monday, December 23, 1878, at Rancho Los Cerritos. Owner Jotham Bixby and his wife have just returned from a business trip to San Francisco to check on wool shipments. Many relatives and friends are here helping prepare for Christmas, which the extended Bixby family will celebrate at Rancho Los Cerritos this year.
Suddenly the Rancho’s evening activities are interrupted by unexpected visitors – YOU! Your stagecoach en route to Los Angeles has arrived at the Ranch, having been lost in the fog on the road from Santa Ana. After a brief rest for the horses, your coach will continue to Los Angeles. From there you can board the train for San Francisco tomorrow morning. While the horses rest, the Bixby family will most assuredly welcome you and provide for your comfort.
Step back in time to December 23, 1878 and celebrate a Victorian Christmas at Rancho Los Cerritos! Tour the decorated adobe home with a costumed living history docent, and meet the Bixby family, friends and workers on this active sheep ranch as they share holiday traditions and discuss daily life in the Los Angeles area through theatrical vignettes. You’ll hear how the workers will spend the holidays, learn about advances in technology, and explore women’s views on suffrage, temperance and children’s education. Your magical evening will conclude with gingerbread, hot cider and live music in the gardens – and perhaps some shopping in the Museum Store where you’ll find decorative ornaments, children’s toys and unique handmade Christmas crafts.
Tours begin every ten minutes between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday evenings, December 14 and 15. Tickets are on sale now for $15 and will not be sold at the door. To reserve your candlelit journey back in time, call 562/570-1755 or download the form from the website: www.rancholoscerritos.org.
Rancho Los Cerritos is at 4600 Virginia Road in Long Beach. The 1844 adobe home will be adorned with Victorian greenery and decorations throughout the holiday season and can be toured during public hours, Wednesday through Sunday from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. The Rancho will be closed December 24, 25 and 31, 2013 and January 1, 2014.
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