Everyone in our community should be able to enjoy a delicious holiday dinner. The Kiwanis Club of Monterey, Food Bank for Monterey County, and City of Monterey are offering free holiday meal kits for contact-free drive-thru and walk-up on Thursday, December 23 (rain or shine).

Each meal kit will include all of the fixings to prepare your own traditional holiday meal for a family of 4 or 6-8 people. Reservations are required for pick-up - please sign up here.

As of this post, reservations are still available for 11:30am-2pm. Make your reservations and come to Dennis the Menace Parking Lot, 777 Pearl Street in Monterey, on December 23. Face masks are required.

Home delivery is available only for homebound individuals by special request: please contact Monterey Recreation by email at or call 831-646-3866.

Storm season is here! We need the rain, but sometimes we also need sandbags. The Monterey Peninsula has numerous spots, mostly at local fire stations, where you can pick up the bags and fill them with sand on site. Please be sure to call first - phone numbers are listed below.

Local Sandbag Sites:

Fire Station No. 11
600 Pacific Street, Monterey
831-646-3905

Fire Station No. 12
582 Hawthorne Street, Monterey
831-646-3906

Station No. 13
401 Dela Vina Avenue, Monterey
831-646-3907

Pacific Grove Fire Station
400 Pine Avenue, Pacific Grove
831-242-8733

Carmel Youth Center
Torres Street & Fourth Avenue, Carmel
831-620-2000

Monterey residents and visitors! We have a new indoor mask mandate in California which begins Wednesday, December 15, 2021. But while we'll all be wearing our face masks in New Monterey's Lighthouse District, we'll still be bringing our hometown-style cheer to the holidays!

Visit us and wear your face mask over your nose AND your mouth, lovelies. We look forward to seeing your beautiful eyes.

Throughout the state of California, face masks are required to be worn indoors in public spaces beginning Wednesday, December 15, 2021. This is in response to a 47% increase in Covid case rates in the state since Thanksgiving and a rise in hospitalizations. For details on the mandate, please read this press release from the California Department of Public Health.

This mandate is scheduled to last at least until January 15, 2022. We in Downtown Old Monterey thank you for your patience and your continued support of our small, locally-owned businesses this holiday season.

Sahara Sun's holiday sale is on through December 24, 2021. Get our 10 Combo Tanning Special for only $99 - includes Versa Spa, high pressure, and medium pressure tans. And new fashion in our clothing boutique is now offered at 40% off.

Sahara Sun Tanning is located at 585 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey. For more information, please call us at 831-375-9584.

Introducing the Lighthouse District Holiday Gift Guide! It's full of fun, unique gifts available at small businesses in New Monterey's Lighthouse District, and we'll be adding to it through the holidays.

When you shop locally you support our neighborhood stores, reduce environmental impact, and always find the most creative, thoughtful gifts. Plus, on Lighthouse Avenue you'll often find that the owner is working behind the counter, so you're sure to get the best customer service around!

Just look for a gift in the Gallery, click on the photo, and you'll be taken to the shop's online store or to a page with their contact information.

Fin + Field restaurant and bar at Monterey Marriott Hotel is happy to announce our new, seasonal dinner and bar menus!

Executive Chef Josh Silva-Arias presents a fresh dinner menu of California cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. And don't miss our bar menu, featuring such favorites as fish and chips, artichoke dip, and hot wings.

Fin + Field is now serving breakfast and dinner daily, 6:30am-11am and 5pm-10pm, and our bar is open Sunday - Thursday, 4pm-10pm and Friday and Saturday, 4pm-11pm. Happy Hour is celebrated daily, 4pm-6pm. Join us at 350 Calle Principal in Downtown Old Monterey.

Got family? The legendary Merritt House Hotel, located at 386 Pacific Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is the perfect place to stash the whole family this holiday season!

Throughout December, take advantage of our Holiday Special, featuring single rooms, regardless of bed type, for $180 per night plus tax*. Let us take care of all your treasured guests! Visit our website today to make your reservations.

*Please note: our Holiday Special excludes black out dates and some dates where restrictions apply, such as New Year's Eve weekend.

Just in time for holiday shopping, Current Comics presents some recommendations for great gifts we have in stock. Visit us at 400 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey while supplies last, or you can click the links below to visit our online store.

Feel free to call us at 831-333-1085 to ask our staff for more information or recommendations. We're happy to share our knowledge of and enthusiasm for comics and graphic novels with you.

Funk POP! Marvel Classic Hawkeye Figure
If you’ve seen the new Hawkeye show on Disney+, check out this POP Hawkeye figure with his original purple costume!

All of the action figures and Funko POPs on our store shelves are available to buy on our store website too! Just go to currentcomics.net, click Monterey or Salinas store, then scroll down the menu and click “Action Figures & Statues” or “Funko Pops” to see our in stock list of figures.

Saga Graphic Novel
The Eisner-Award winning, best-selling (mature rated) Image Comics series Saga will be back with issue #55 on January 26 after a 3 year break. If you haven’t read it yet, here’s a link to Vol 1. We have all 9 volumes in stock, plus the 3 hardcovers and the compendium.

DC Comics Coloring Books
We have some fun activity and coloring books for adults in our shop and online, including one for the Justice League and one for Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad.

Marvel Mighty Masterworks
Search “Mighty Masterworks” on our website and the results will be a selection of $16 paperbacks, each containing the first 10 issues of Marvel’s biggest characters - Spider-Man, X-men, the Avengers, Hulk, and Thor. Here's a link to a volume for Spider-Man.

Gift Cards
Not sure what to buy for your comic lover? Current Comics sells gift cards in any amount! Just stop by the store or give us a call.