Whether you prefer yachts strung up with Christmas lights, decorative Gingerbread Houses or having tea with your Teddy Bear, you'll find it here in our weekend Holiday wrap-up.
Gingerbread houses conjure images of the Brothers Grimm fairytale classic Hansel and Gretel and of course, Christmas. This year for the entire month of December, you can view twelve handmade Gingerbread houses at various businesses in Sausalito. It's the second annual Gingerbread House Tour sponsored by the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce. The creations range from a breathtaking Victorian fantasy to traditional Christmas gingerbread scenes to a very Marin-style eco-creation that comes with an organic garden and compost heap in the front yard (all made of edible treats of course!)
We took a trip to downtown Sausalito to see for ourselves...here's a slide show with locations and a brief description noted underneath-
1) Dis & Dat - Inspired by the historic Sausalito Plant recording studio
2) Jewelry by the Bay - An exquisite Victorian scene inspired by the Painted Ladies of SF
3) Horizons Restaurant - A rustic house in the woods
4) Angelino's Restaurant - A beautiful house with cereal theme; shredded wheat roof and popcorn trees
5) Hubba Hubba - Miniature, but finely decorated traditional house
6) The Inn Above Tide - Large, Edwardian house is the only one with decorations inside the rooms
7) The Spinnaker Restaurant - Huge, traditional with powdered sugar snow and icing icicles
8) Sausalito Optometry - Eco-house with edible grass roof with solar panels and organic garden in front
9) Bluebird Yarns - Fanciful miniature gingerbread birdhouses, ten in all, hanging in the front window
10) Cathy Steirhoff, CPA - Gingerbread lighthouse designed and built by an 11 year old & friends
11) Sunshine Cleaners - Water inspired creation with gummy sharks and huge yellow sun
12) Sushi Ran Restaurant - A towering Pagoda-style gingerbread wonder
We also have a wonderful photo album with many more photos of the houses here at MoreHotShots!
The houses will be judged on December 8th, and the winners announced at the Sausalito Mixer on Friday, December 12th from 5:30p to 8p at the Bay Model Visitors Center.
Pick up a map of the Gingerbread House Tour at kiosk at the Sausalito Ferry Landing.
On Saturday, December 13th, it's the annual Marin Art & Garden Center Holiday Festival and Teddy Bear Tea. Festival goers can pick buy holiday decorations, baked goods, books and live greens. But the big draw each year is the Teddy Bear Tea. Reserved for children 1 to 7 years old, the tea features refreshments, crafts, holiday music and of course, Teddy bears. There are two sittings, 12N and 2p.
Cost is $40 per child. Call 415 455-5230 for reservations.
The Sausalito waterfront is the place to be on Saturday night; it's the 19th annual Lighted Yacht Parade. The parade starts at the north end of town off Clipper Yacht Harbor then proceeds along the waterfront and heads south pass the Spinnaker Restaurant and winds up at the Sausalito Yacht Club. Members can invite their spouse and two guests to the buffet dinner and party that follow. Call 415 332-7400 for reservations.
Finally, it's not Christmas without the Nutcracker, and Marin Ballet has two performances; Saturday, December 13th and Sunday, December 14th. 175 student dancers will join guest dancers and adult performers for the annual favorite. There are two performances each day; one at 1p and one at 5p. Tickets for adults are $35.00, Under 18 and Seniors are $23.00. For tickets, call 415 499-6800.
Does anyone know the address of the home in Novato, open to the public, that is decorated to the max? Iv'e gone for the last 4 years, but can't find any info on it.
Thank you,
redshado@pacbell.net
Posted by: RK | Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 12:43 PM