A proper tea with Mrs. Claus
Christmas has a CEO, her name is Mrs. Claus and she delighted all those gathered at The General’s Daughter on December 9 for a Teddy Bear Tea.
The interior of the historic Vallejo family mansion on West Spain Street was all decorated with a holiday theme of gingerbread, Christmas trees and Santa Claus.
The tea party tables, designed by Picnic Potential, were covered with linen tablecloths with holiday centerpieces, and each setting at the tables had individually decorated and wrapped Christmas cookies for the children to enjoy.
“I am so happy to be here,” said Mrs. Claus as she explained. “I am the wife of Santa Claus and we’ve been married a very long time.” As the CEO of Christmas Mrs Claus (portrayed by actress, Suzy Abbott) told the children that, “I make sure everything about Christmas goes well.”
Some 80 families brought their children to the event, hosted and sponsored by Sonoma’s Best Hospitality Group, in what SBHG hopes will become an annual holiday tradition.
As parents had a moment to enjoy a cup of fresh brewed coffee or hot steeped tea, the children scurried about eager to sit around the Christmas tree and listen to Mrs. Claus read to them. She read two holiday stories, The Christmas Bear and then Frosty The Snowman.
Both stories known to many children for decades highlights the magic of Christmas. And as Mrs. Claus told her audience, “Christmas is about giving and about love.”
In between the reading of the two stories, Mrs. Claus asked the children what they wanted for Christmas. Each child who responded had their own unique request. Yet many of them then added to their specific request “lots more presents!”
“This is a first for us,” said Lynn Steele who brought her granddaughter and daughter-in-law. She was enthralled like many of the parents and grandparents to watch her granddaughter listen to Mrs. Claus attentively and take in all the festivities.
As a retired Kindergarten and preschool teacher, Steele was impressed at how much Mrs. Claus was able to keep all the children engaged and interested.
Ranging in ages from about two years-old to 10 years old, Steele understands how difficult it is to engage a young child’s interest especially when attention-spans are usually short and sporadic. “This Mrs. Claus has got it, exclaimed Steele, and knows how to keep them interested.”
The sunny and almost clear blue sky on Saturday made for a pleasant morning that no doubt helped with the success of the event. “We wanted to create memorable experiences for families to look back at for years to come,” said Kristen Jensen, Di
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What a great story! I will look forward to meeting Mrs. Claus with my family next year. My 2 and 4 year olds write to Santa and didn’t know Mrs. Claus was going to be in Sonoma Valley. This is a great idea for an annual tradition. Kudos to Sonoma’s Best Hospitality Group and the kind and caring folks who work with them at their properties and businesses. Thank you from our families and Merry Christmas to everyone.
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