The last time Steve and I attended Mass was in Pisa, Italy in 2010. This current trek to church was due to the fact that our granddaughter's neighbor, Art, was to play Santa for his very last time (after 30 years) and we all wanted to be there for that milestone.

Another reason we wanted to be there was for the location, itself. St. Philip the Apostle Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Occidental. In the late 1800s, the Catholic population of this area was served by a church 15 miles away. With the influx of a large number of Italian and Irish immigrants, there was a growing movement to build a church in Occidental. When the Asti family donated a plot for a new place of worship, Shea and Shea, a firm of architects from San Francisco, were hired to draw the plans. Local workers were hired to do the work and the church was completed in December 1902.

St. Philip, a Victorian Gothic style church, has been restored and lovingly cared for. Today it retains most of the beautiful original woodwork and charming details.

The interior reminds me of the hull of a ship. It was gorgeous and the acoustics were exceptional.

The Nativity, starring the most adorable children, was worth the price of admission! So precious.

And then there was Art. This was the first (and last) time my daughter-in-law has seen this special man in his role of Santa. I'm so happy we were there to be a part of it. It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The day ended beautifully.