Johnston Holiday House Preserves Traditions and Legends

In the name of holiday tradition, volunteers at the historic James Johnston House have decked the halls and will open the door to entice visitors to sneak a peek of history while they shop till they drop.

This year's 10th Annual Johnston Holiday House Boutique and Tour, appropriately themed "Traditions and Legends," will be held Saturday and Sunday, November 6, 7, 13, and 14 from 10am to 4pm.

Guests will be treated to a colorful spectrum of 14 decorative doorways in the 12-room home each displaying a holiday tradition, such as candy canes, mistletoe, caroling, holiday cards, or holly. Rooms will feature themed trees, like the Retro Tree with its colored deco bulb lights and tinsel, or the Harvest Tree, with décor denoting Thanksgiving. Boutique gifts are placed in each room according to
theme.

But the real reward is being in the striking New England salt box-styled home where Johnston, his wife Petra, Johnston's mother-in-law Maleta (meaning "little mother"), and their four children lived on their homestead beginning in 1853. The family was among the first settlers in Half Moon Bay.

Local genealogist Mary Bettencourt will be available to talk with guests during the
Boutique. Docents  will also be sprinkled in each room to answer questions about the Johnston family and their place in local history. Descriptions of historical value are also posted in each room for a self-guided tour.

"This event offers a small sampling of the house as an historic place. We hope to peak people's interest in coming back," says Johnston House Foundation Treasurer Lauren Goodrich of the Boutique, which is key in providing support for future improvements for the historic landmark.  Goodrich, who has been chairing the event for six of its ten years, decorates, gathers and buys for the Boutique, which showcases art for purchase from more than 35 local artists. Visitors are given a queen-sized bag to shop with, and courtesy shuttle rides to the parking lot when their bags are full.

The combination of museum pieces and holiday items make for a memorable experience. The Parlor Room, with its original dark davenport from the Johnston collection, also holds holiday ornaments, jewelry and artwork, while the house's original Sitting Room has been transformed into a tribute to the Coast, with a tree decked out in shell ornaments and sea-themed treasures.  Special care is given to
decorating this room, says Goodrich, as a thank you to local patrons.

Shoppers' choices are plentiful, but Goodrich says certain one-of-a-kind items will go quickly.  Children's items are popular, as are handmade quilts, creative nightlights, and angel clothespin ornaments from the Old Chapel Room, where items of inspiration and faith are found today, and where Petra and Maleta expressed their Catholic faith and reflection in the 1800s.

The most visited room, according to Goodrich, is the Kitchen, where two tables are devoted to offering samples of homemade treats for the Boutique, both sweet and savory.  Gourmet oils and sauces, honey and jam, and sweets like peppermint bark and chocolates are there for the tasting.

"There isn't a door knob uncovered," says Goodrich, who hangs handmade aprons from the kitchen door, while displaying homemade dry pasta in an old fashioned washtub in the pantry and gardening items in a tiny closet.

As for historical works of art, each room is a tribute to those who lived there, with furniture, paintings, antiquated stoves and fireplaces adorning the house.  

Johnston, a Mexican War veteran who found his fortune in gold and made investments in San Francisco real estate, married Petra Maria de Hara, an immigrant of Mexico, in 1852 and bought 1,162 acres of San Benito Ranch in 1853.  His home, built on the property a couple of years later, became known as "The White House" for its traditional white color.  In the 1970s the Johnston House Foundation began its restoration of the home, which was placed on the National Register of properties and is now an historic house museum. Johnston, who died in 1879, still has descendants on the Peninsula. The house is currently owned by the City of Half Moon Bay, with the Foundation managing the property and inside restoration.

"You're only as good as your number of volunteers," says Goodrich of the many museum friends, board members, docents, and local Garden Club members who offer their help to make the Boutique fundraiser successful and apply for grants throughout the year.

In following this year's event theme of traditions and legends, Goodrich continues the tradition of showing visitors an important piece of legendary history, which boasts a plush green meadow and clear view of the coastline.  "Those who come can embrace the holidays and shop to their hearts' content, while they contribute to the restoration of this unique landmark," says Goodrich.