Celebrate Christmas Along California's Historic Mission Trail

Spend the perfect Christmas holiday driving up the beautiful California coastline, visiting genuine mission museums, still standing along California's Historic Mission Trail. Visiting one or two, of the authentically maintained California Missions and active Catholic parishes, with Sunday mass (chapels for worship) can be the Christmas experience of a lifetime, as well as a remarkable early California history lesson for the entire family.

Driving the length of California State under normal circumstances, takes about 9 to 15 hours, from the southern border north, through the middle of the state, up to the Oregon border. However, the Historic California Mission Trail follows California's jagged shoreline, along the State Highway 101, also known as the El Camino Real, meaning the Royal Road.

History of the Missions

The El Camino Real was funded by the King of Spain in 1769, with missions running from San Diego in southern California, all the way up to Sonoma (wine country) in northern California, with hopes of creating an empire. With missions spanning a day's journey by horseback, you will be able to maintain a comfortable pace visiting 3 missions per day, if you plan to visit all 21 missions over Christmas week.

San Diego de Alcala, was the first mission built in 1769, in San Diego, led by Father Junipero Serra, with the mission trail winding up north to the last mission, San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, built in1823, and rebuilt after natural-disaster devastation in 1840. Self-guided tours allow guests to walk back in time viewing original artifacts, buildings, and gardens, when the California missions' agricultural and water irrigation centers launched each new town as we know them today.

The missions housed the first schools, hospitals, and chapels, and were California's first employers, responsible for creating all the in house and agricultural related jobs. Over the years, each of the California missions have become known for providing unique Christian events for the communities they founded.

Mission Highlights

Several California missions stand out as shining examples to be spotlighted; such as the San Juan Capistrano Mission's community fiesta when the swallows return from Argentina, every year on March 19^th for St. Joseph's Day. Farther up the mission trail, just outside the quaint Scandinavian village of Solvang, and right next door to an Emu/Ostrich farm and visitor center, is the sleepy little Mission Santa Ines history museum and gardens.

Still farther north, a friend tells me the bay area's San Juan Batista Mission has designated "Mission Days" throughout the year, sporting authentically dressed locals, and working at jobs like blacksmithing, candle making, and weaving, just as they would have done hundreds of years ago. Although many of these community mission celebrations happen at various times throughout the year, you will be able to find exciting holiday events, and comfortable lodging, driving along the Historic California Mission Trail; including special Christmas eve and morning masses, held inside mission chapels.

Sources: California State Parks @ CA.gov "The California Missions Trail" http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22722 and personal experience