Eves of Yore : Old-time Christmases will be reenacted during tours of Olivas Adobe.

On Christmas Eve more than a century ago, the women at the Olivas family’s grand adobe might have dashed about the kitchen baking a spicy cake with tiny toys hidden inside.

Perhaps in the adobe’s upstairs chapel, the padre told keyed-up children the story about St. Nicholas--not the jolly bearded fellow we know as Santa Claus, but a real-life version from centuries earlier, known for his generosity and love of children.

It will seem like those earlier rancho days Sunday night at the adobe, when it will be all decked out for a special children’s Christmas.

Families can take candlelight tours of the mansion, led by docents carrying lanterns. At each of the rooms, skits will be performed depicting the excitement of Christmas Eve back then.

The free tours run every 15 minutes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cookies, hot chocolate and cider will take the chill off the night.

Weather permitting, the courtyard of the 1847 stately adobe--once home to Don Raymundo Olivas, a prominent, savvy businessman--will shimmer in the glow of about 200 luminarias.

The little brown paper bags, each weighted with sand and holding a candle, will be lined up to form a giant eight-pointed star of Bethlehem.

The luminarias are a tradition at this annual event, but not always a sure thing. Occasionally, rain or blustery weather cancel the candle-lighting.

Regardless of the weather, the tours will go on, according to Karen Kennedy, an Olivas Adobe docent who has organized a junior docent program. Among the more than 40 volunteers who stage this holiday event, nearly half will be kids.

The skits are a window on Christmases past at the adobe, elegant in its day. In the sewing room, two women help children get ready for the Posada, a traditional reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for lodging just before the birth of Jesus.

The final skit is a scene in the living room where everyone gathers for Christmas carols in Spanish and English, along with dancing.

On rare occasions--and this is one--the adobe’s 1874 piano is played. Called a square grand, it’s unique in that it has 77 keys, not the usual 88.

* Free candlelight tours of Ventura’s Olivas Adobe, 4200 Olivas Park Drive, will take place Sunday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For information, call 644-4346 or 658-4726.

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For a different spin on Christmas, the homes along Oxnard’s picturesque F Street will officially turn on their holiday lights Sunday. This is the Christmas-crazed neighborhood that welcomes looky-loos to its assortment of holiday-themed yards.

Some 35 to 40 homes, between 5th and Doris streets, will have their lights on from 6 to 10 p.m. through Dec. 26. A bilingual Santa will be on hand Dec. 18 to 23, generally from 6 to 8 p.m., giving out candy canes and taking Christmas requests.

The displays are a mix, from the devout--an almost life-size Nativity scene, complete with camels--to the cute--a scene with the Peanuts cartoon characters.

In between are Santa workshops, ice rinks set against fake snow, carousels and, of course, holiday music.

The 36-foot metal-and-wire tree will be decorated as usual at the corner of 2nd and F streets. This is the fifth year for the neighborhood display, called Christmas Tree Lane. It draws bumper-to-bumper traffic along tree-lined F Street. Those who want a more leisurely look at the decorations--and these stately, turn-of-the-century homes--can stroll the sidewalks.

“I’ve talked to real estate agents who say they now use [Christmas Tree Lane] as a selling point,” said Steve Buratti, a nut about Christmas decorations who helps organize the display. Buratti’s home on F Street will take on the look of Santa’s workshop with a small train and busy elves.

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There will be a touch of winter at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on Sunday. Not snow, but ice--a big block of it.

Students from Santa Barbara City College’s hotel, restaurant and culinary program are going to carve it into a majestic swan. It’s one of the skills they learn in the program, and presentation is everything. For those who want to see the work in progress, the carving starts at noon.

Also appearing at the museum Sunday is a 400-pound North American black bear, Sierra, raised in captivity since he was 6 weeks old.

He’s one of the many rehabilitated wild animals taken in by David and Anita Jackson of Paso Robles, who show them for educational purposes.

If you’re a fan of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” you might have seen 6-year-old Sierra hamming it up recently.

He will make his appearance at the museum at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Also along for the show-and-tell is a 5-foot-long alligator named Spike.

For information, call 682-4711.

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Weather permitting, the courtyard of the 1847 stately adobe--once home to Don Raymundo Olivas, a prominent, savvy businessman--will shimmer in the glow of about 200 luminarias.