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Published: December 25th 2005
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Hotel La Rose
A jewel in the Sonoma Valley We awoke at Hotel La Rose to a wonderful continental breakfast. Scones and granola and OJ, Oh My! With a full tummy and a Christmas Eve smile, we climbed up the Hotel La Rose grand staircase to our room. Once we got there, Allen noticed some movement by the windowsill... upon further inspection, we discovered an entire family living in the room with us... Ladybugs! All over the place! Did you know that ladybugs cuddle at night when they sleep?
Against our better sense, we went to the Santa Rosa mall on Christmas Eve. But much to our surprise, it was actually quite pleasant! The people were friendly and Marce even got an early Christmas present - waterproof boots! We walked back to the hotel where we learned a little bit more about the place. Hotel Santa Rose was built in 1907 for Bautista Bettini, after the great earthquake of 1906 destroyed it's predecessor, the St. Rose Hotel. The walls are 20"-24" thick and made of "andesite", a thick volcanic rock. It is said that during Prohibition, the sheriff was actually tarred and feathered for trying to shut the hotel bar down. In fact, the Hotel La Rose managed to
Ladybug
One of our many visitors! serve alcohol althroughout the Prohibition years by cleverly maintaining two bars open. Federal agents would come through about every six months and shut the bar down for a two month period. Once the agents left, the bar would simply send its patrons over to the other bar and keep on keeping on.
Enticed by the continous flow of libations in Sonoma County, we set off for wine country, where we found ourselves at the Chateau St. Jean winery. For a mere $5, we sampled four of their premier wines and discovered that The Boy and The Girl both have a strong affinity for Pinot Blanc! The gardens were spectacular and very reminiscent of Paris. Hypnotized by the glorious mountain views, we drove down county roads until we found a quiet spot to enjoy our leftovers from the night before. For future reference - cold Mexican food makes a great lunch when you're driving through the mountains.
Inebriated by the beauty of the valley, we made our way back to the hotel for a long winter's nap. Hearing rumors of a 4th Annual Lighted Hot Air Balloon Show, set to take place within minutes of where we were, we
Chateau St. Jean
Chateau St. Jean winery roused ourselves out of hibernation to take a peek. Alas, the balloons were nowhere to be found. Perhaps they had somewhere else to blow? With a warm cinnamon latte, we returned to the hotel room until we were due to appear at Josef's French restaurant for our Christmas Eve dinner.
And, the wait was well worth it. Josef himself seated us at the most romantic table in the place - underneath a huge Christmas wreath in the center window. Shortly after ordering our Chateau St. Jean gewurztraminer, four Christmas carolers in full Victorian regalia serenaded us with songs of olde, and Christmas cheer. Allen enjoyed the mushroom risotto, while Marce endulged in the scallops and prawns in rich lobster sauce. We both agreed upon the Beef Wellington with Hollandaise sauce and a dark chocolate tort for dessert.
Thankful for the warm sheets and soft pillows awaiting upstairs, we returned to explore the history and true meaning of Christmas. The sounds of the Andy Williams show and the Osmonde Brothers accompanied us as we discovered many fascinating truths about the origins of Christmas.
Did you know?
* Puritans made Christmas illegal and considered it both "pagan" and
Sonoma County
Sonoma County wine country! "popish".
* Shepherds tended their flocks in Bethlehem from March to November, not December! - it wasn't until 1223 when St. Francis of Assissi created the beloved winter manger scene.
* The yule log was used by Pagans to hurry the return of the sun.
* Kissing under mistletoe is believed to have originated from either the Druids or the Norse myth of Frigga, the goddess of love, marriage, and fertility. Loki slew her son Balder with an arrow, and when Balder was returned to life, Frigga blessed the mistletoe and gave a kiss to anyone who passed under it.
* Santa Claus was originally a tiny, pipe-smoking elf, and was never described as wearing a red suit. It wasn't until the 1930's when Coca-Cola hired Haddon Sundblom for an advertising campaign that St. Nick received his signature red garbs.
For these and more interesting tidbits of information on the history of Christmas, visit the following websites:
http://paganwiccan.about.com/cs/aboutyule/a/paganxmas.htm http://www.rochesterunitarian.org/1996-97/961215.html http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=35 Many thanks to Crystal, Janet and Gustavo for making our stay at the Hotel La Rose a truly memorable one! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
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Mashenka
non-member comment
Dec. 26.2005
My dearest loves, What a deliciously wonderful Christmas Eve!! Thank you for taking us there!! I shared this log entry today with my Godfather and Mirta.(By the way he was very grateful for the B/Day card you sent him!) It was great to read your travels to them and to share in all the details. God Bless you every step of your way. Keep on absorbing each instance as intensely!! What fun!!