December is one of the quietest and most charming months on the Monterey Peninsula. Crowds are light, the towns dress up for the season, and a few long-running traditions are worth planning a trip around.
Pacific Grove Holiday Parade of Lights: Thursday, December 3
The 23rd annual parade rolls down Lighthouse Avenue in downtown Pacific Grove from 6 to 8 p.m., with marching bands, lit floats, dance teams, and Santa. This year's theme is "A Storybook Christmas." It happens rain or shine. Details: Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce.
Christmas in the Adobes: December 11 and 12
Monterey's signature holiday event, the 42nd annual Christmas in the Adobes, runs from 5 to 9 p.m. both evenings. Historic adobes across Old Monterey open their doors, lit by luminarias, with music, refreshments, and docents in period dress.
- Buy tickets ahead from the Monterey State Historic Park Association. Youth 17 and under are free.
- Online buyers pick up a wristband and map at a will-call location before visiting the adobes.
- It is rain or shine, and you will walk between buildings all evening, so wear comfortable shoes.
Monarch season in Pacific Grove
Western monarch butterflies overwinter in the Monarch Grove Sanctuary (250 Ridge Road) from about October through February. Volunteer docents are on hand during the season, and numbers vary from year to year. A sunny, mild midday is the best time to see them fly. Look, but do not touch.
Staying at Stargazer Hotel
Stargazer Hotel on Munras Avenue is about 5 minutes from Old Monterey for Christmas in the Adobes and about 10 minutes from Pacific Grove, with an indoor heated pool for chilly December evenings. Book direct at stargazerhotel.com.
Photo: "Custom House Monterey, CA (cropped)" by Jsweida, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Custom_House_Monterey,_CA_(cropped).jpg), licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). Cropped on Commons from the original; resized.
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