Christmas in July

You’ve driven by it a zillion times, that huge rooftop Santa Claus that beams down at motorists on Highway 101 just above Carpinteria.

You might feel silly about it in July, but it’s worth taking the Santa Claus Lane exit to explore this seaside nook. It’s not a North Pole village exactly, but features eateries with everything from date milkshakes to ostrich burgers, a shop that peddles antique toys, and an art gallery showcasing “luminous” paintings that seem to glow from within.

Though it can be found, there is surprisingly little Christmas glitz at this quirky roadside attraction that got its start in 1948 as an orange juice stand.

The busiest place seems to be Padaro Beach Grill, named for the popular adjacent beach. Brothers Gene and Paul Archambault took over the burger spot two years ago and created a landscaped mini-park outside where diners can take in the view.

“It was just a vacant lot out here,” Paul Archambault said. Now a brick walkway leads out to some 60 picnic tables scattered about. A wooden footbridge crosses a dry, rock-lined creek bed. Eucalyptus trees, palm trees and flowers dot the grassy stretch.

“Business has doubled each year,” he said.

You won’t find reindeer burgers here--or anything else Christmas-y--but the menu boasts ostrich burgers.

“We sell a lot--everyone’s got to try it,” he said. It’s a healthier cousin to the hamburger--drier but lower in fat and cholesterol.

Be warned that, as you eat and scan the ocean for dolphins, the moment can be shattered by the occasional train that roars through just a few steps away--a thrill for kids, but a heart-pounding jolt for anyone else.

The ostrich burger is a relative newcomer compared to the date milkshakes--made from California-grown dates--that have been a specialty in Santa’s Date Shop since 1948. You’ll also find baskets of saltwater taffy, giant pickles, scads of cookie cutters, as well as old Santa memorabilia.

Toys at the adjoining Toyland store include all the latest in Barbie accessories, along with old-timers like the Hula Hoop, Slinky, balsa-wood model airplanes and yo-yos. You can mail letters here and they’ll be hand-stamped with a small Santa head and the words, “Mailed from Santa Claus, California.”

At one time, Santa’s Date Shop also housed a post office substation where thousands of letters passed through each Christmas season for a special Santa postmark. Those days are long gone, and the funky patchwork of shops and eateries that make up Santa Claus Lane has seen periods of neglect as well as revival.

June Young, 74, remembers when she and then-husband Patrick McKeon bought the tiny orange juice stand for $500 in 1948. That was the start of Santa Claus Lane. She said the name sprung from the fact that the spot was in a land of Santas--Santa Barbara, Santa Paula, Santa Maria--so why not Santa Claus?

The couple hired an out-of-work artist to build the rooftop Santa. “He slept in his car while he built it out of two-by-fours and chicken wire,” Young said.

Over the years, the giant Santa has had his supporters and detractors. When Tom and Carolyn Pappas, current owners of most of the lane, decided to take it down in 1988, Santa Barbara County officials objected. The Santa had historic value, they said.

So the Santa remained firmly wedged in the chimney atop the Date Shop, but other features have come and gone: a rooftop snowman, a miniature train, an electrically refrigerated North Pole with steps around it.

Young sold her property in 1966. The lane later slid into decline. When Pappases bought it in 1986, it had a rundown look.

They made extensive improvements. There are tasteful Santa touches in Nick’s Steakhouse and the Reindeer Room--both have elegant sleighs. The spruced-up Santa’s Kitchen, with its Santa mural, is expected to reopen this weekend.

The shops are quaint and tidy. In Adventure Galley you’ll find Christmas ornaments--everything from snowmen made from starfish to sets of hand-blown glass ornaments.

Brent Harelson operates Santa Barbara Antique Toys, which offers toys from the mid-1800s to 1960. Carousel Art Gallery specializes in the prints of Thomas Kinkade, called the “painter of light” for his way of illuminating his oil paintings.

But Santa Claus Lane isn’t all quirky charm. Parts of it are under separate ownership and some buildings are unoccupied, still under renovation or seldom open.

Kathy Bertolette of Gorman strolled along the lane on a recent weekday.

“I’ve been by here 9,000 times--it was time I stopped,” she said. She surveyed the strip and reflected: “Like everything in the ‘90s, the place needs a little love.”

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BE THERE

Santa Claus Lane is off Highway 101 near Carpinteria. Take the Santa Claus Lane exit. For information, call the Carpinteria Chamber of Commerce, 684-5479.