Solstice sunbeams

While West Coast Christmases are seldom white with snow, nature finds other ways to get in the holiday spirit here in the Golden State. A landmark of the Big Sur region south of Monterey, California, Keystone Arch puts on a seasonal light show each year. Peaking in late December near the winter solstice, the effect occurs when the setting sun lines up just right with Keystone's through-cut sea cave—as permitted by the persistent NorCal winter fog.