Attending the Heritage Hills Historical Park annual Victorian Christmas has become a tradition for us. It’s held the second weekend of December. I took this photo while sitting inside of St. George’s Episcopal Mission (1891), listening to Christmas carols. Heritage Hill Historical Park covers 4.1 acres, and includes four fully restored and furnished historic buildings from the early days of the Saddleback Valley and El Toro area. You can tour St. George’s church, the El Toro grammar school (1890), the Serrano Adobe (1863), and the Harvey Bennett Ranch House (1908). All are beautifully decorated for the season, and docents in each room tell the history.

An example of the type of sombrero worn in that era.
The festively lit stairs of St. George’s shows some of the beautiful lighting that filled the park. It was a magical night, and I’m so glad that we’ve made it a Christmas tradition.