Our favorite Castle employee, Victoria, regaled us with more interesting stories of the Hearst family last Tuesday...  the Hearst family, who loved Christmas, ensured that their decorations would be second to  none...  boasting over 100 wreaths of all sizes, hundreds and hundreds of poinsettias, Christmas trees and spectacular holiday colors - Hearst Castle should be on everybody's "to do" list this holiday season.  Having changed their tours, you can now take a guided tour and then spend countless hours on a self guided "walk-around" the gardens for as long as you'd like...