Robert Louis Stevenson's First Christmas in California

Robert Louis Stevenson photographed in Boston, 1887. Courtesy of 

Historic Bay Area Visionaries and the California Historical Society.

If you've ever had a blue Christmas (and even Elvis had one of those), you have some great company in the poet and writer Robert Louis Stevenson. He came to California in 1879 from Scotland on a journey of romance and, at first, it did not appear to be going well. Here's what happened over the holidays (and be sure and read it all the way through, as there is a lesson in the story). And for more on Stevenson in California, pick up a copy of my book Historic Bay Area Visionaries (History Press 2018). Merry Christmas! 

CLICK TO READ ABOUT ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON'S CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS

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New List of Upcoming Events for Historic Bay Area Visionaries

Christmas in the Adobes uses these wooden angels as the icons of the event. They were originally created in the 1950s for the City of Monterey. 

The Robert Louis Stevenson House was one of twenty-two adobes open during Monterey's annual "Christmas in the Adobes" celebration. It is a historic house-and-building tour in a city with some of the oldest standing structures in California. What a wonderful event. Lights, mulled cider, cookies, music, costumes, and volunteer docents led the celebrations at every adobe. A wonderful way to learn history and begin the holiday season.