For the past three months, there’s only been one thing on Scott Chedester’s mind: Christmas at The Carrisa.
Get festive
Christmas at The Carrisa opens on Thursday, Nov. 20, with hours from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 4 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Find The Carrisa at 736 Higuera St. in downtown SLO.
Soon after Rod & Hammer hired Chedester as its event sales director in April, he heard that there was a possibility that Christmas at The Carrisa wasn’t going to happen this year. But Rod & Hammer told Chedester that if he knew a designer that could help him produce it, then they could do it.
He immediately thought of Mark Luna, founder of MDL Events, someone he’s worked with countless times as part of his business, Loven Light Events. Their paths have crossed often as part of the local event and wedding planning circuit, Luna said.
“Scott and I work a lot of weddings together, so we kind of have that connection where we have like these crazy ideas that we want to put out and it comes to life,” Luna said.
Now the event’s lead designer, Luna said he’s always wanted to do Christmas at The Carrisa, “because you go every year and it’s just been such an extravagant thing to see,” Luna said.
In festive fashion, big-band holiday music played as Chedester and Luna hung garland and ornaments in mid-November.
Decorating The Carrisa is not Chedester’s only task this holiday season: He’s also decorating his own home for the season. When it comes to festive and lively decorations on the home front and at the downtown SLO venue, Chedester offers a few suggestions for holiday touches that are inexpensive and can have a big impact.
All throughout The Carrisa, guests can find maroon velvet fabric upholstery on the back of the benches—something Chedester said makes a huge impact at a minimal cost.
“It’s a lot easier than people think to reupholster things,” Chedester said.
His focus this year was to make the decorations as immersive as possible, which includes audio entertainment.
“I’m a huge production theater-type thinker and so it all has to do with the energy that you want to provide and the vibe that you want to put into your house,” Chedester explained.
The vibe for Christmas at the Carrisa this year is a noir twist on A Christmas Carol, and he curated playlists that he hopes will help Carrisa customers feel like they’re inside the story.
Using past decorations, thrifted elements, and newly sourced materials, Chedester and Luna decorated The Carrisa’s industrial-style layout so customers can feel like they’re Ebenezer Scrooge wandering through Christmas past, present, and future.
“Scrooge goes back in time, and he sees how wonderful it was for him while he was young, but he also sees the harder and darker times of when he was young,” Chedester said. “Being able to let those worlds mesh together, it’s important for us as people to remember the good and the bad, because that’s what builds our character and builds us as people.”
The themes embedded into the decor aim to represent the memories of the customer’s past, according to Chedester. So, as patrons enter The Carrisa, Santa’s workshop is just as the elves left it. Then, a nutcracker soldier comes to life in the main bar area, and the spirit of Christmas present fills the dining area with a family-style layout, farmhouse tables, and natural twists.
As part of that spirit, candles fill the space above.
“If you are into … that magical, mystical Christmas vibe, then candles are the game changer, in my opinion,” Chedester said.
He bought a plethora of candles to hang from the ceiling of the whiskey lounge, which are controlled with a wand like something straight out of Harry Potter. He found them on Amazon, and all he had to do was provide batteries. This magic touch would be easy to replicate at home, he said.
If you’re into hanging things, Chedester also suggests putting up a floating garland, using almost invisible fishing wire to fix it into place so it looks as if it’s flying.
For more nostalgia, The Nightmare Before Christmas stars Jack Skellington and Sally overlook guests as they dine on the back patio as part of Christmas yet to come.
Chedester wanted to provide comedic relief in Grinch form, but he didn’t want to use the classic Whoville decor. Instead, The Carrisa’s loft space is transformed into the Grinch’s lair, where there will also be periodic visits from the Grinch—from 6 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 20, Dec. 4, and Dec. 20.
According to Chedester, instead of having food and drink menus 20 items long like in previous years, they will only be serving eight food items and six holiday-inspired cocktails.
“We don’t want so many options on there that people come in here and they take time reading the menu,” Chedester said. “We want people to see the item they want, order it, and then enjoy the space.”
In addition to simply sipping seasonal specials, Chedester made every cocktail with an interactive element. For example, if a guest orders the Sleigh Bell Cider, the bartender will ring a bell and tell you to make a wish.
While those cocktails will be highlighted throughout the season, their full bar will also be available, according to Chedester.
“I feel like the holidays are hard for a lot of people,” Luna said, “and I feel like we’re trying to bring joy to this community during these difficult times with those people.” ∆
Reach Intern Bella Cox at ntintern@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2025.