December is a beautiful time to visit the museum. The Kellogg House is decorated in Victorian Christmas style. The oranges hang golden on the trees, and thanks to our mild climate, a variety of flowers are in bloom.

The December 9 Hollyberry Tea is almost upon us, but there are still some tickets left for the 2:30 p.m. seating. This tea is the premiere event of the Victorian Tea Society, and generates funds that benefit the CHM children's programs. Don't miss out on a beautiful afternoon tea in the historic Kellogg House! Call 714-540-0404 x8 for tickets.

Holiday Closures
In order to allow our dedicated staff a chance to enjoy the holidays, the museum will be closed on the following dates:

• Sunday, December 10
• Friday, December 2 - Sunday, January 7

It's time to mark your calendar for the following special CHM events.

Rose Pruning Demonstration - January 20, 2007
The UCCE Master Gardeners of Orange County will present a free rose pruning talk and demonstration from 9 a.m. to noon, featuring guest speaker Clair Martin, Curator of Rose & Perennial Gardens at the Huntington Library. A Q&A breakfast session and tours of the Kellogg house are among the other planned activities. (More...)

A Gold Rush Tea - May 12, 2007 at 11:30 a.m.
Actress Judith Helton will portray Lotta Crabtree, a nineteenth century actress whose career began as a child performing in the gold camps of California. Her presentation will be followed by a scrumptious Victorian tea. (More...)

Titanic: Voyage to Oblivion - September 29, 2007
Mark your calendars now for this exciting CHM Dinner Theatre event, in which you will experience life (and maybe death) aboard the world's most famous passenger liner. Watch our newsletters and Web site for more details as they become available.

October brought us two great events - "How the West Was Fun!" and "The Great Pumpkin Weigh-in."

How the West Was Fun
Our second annual "Centennial Heritage Theatre" event, How the West Was FUN!, was a hilarious trip through the Old West presented by Boothill Productions.
See photos of the event.

Our special thanks go to "Bank Presidents" C.J. Segerstrom & Sons for their generous support of this event.

The Great Pumpkin Weigh-in
The museum took on the feel of a country fair with pumpkins to judge and vendors to visit. It also marked the first major CHM appearance of old West reenactment group Spurs & Satin, who performed some exciting shoot-outs. At high noon the giant pumpkins were weighed, with the winner coming in at a whopping 826 pounds. See photos of the event.

If you've attended the Hollyberry tea or one of the other tea events held at CHM, you know how lovely and enjoyable they are. (If you haven't attended, just ask someone who has.) Now you can treat yourself and your friends to your very own private tea.

A Teas for You tea is an elegant way to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or shower. It's also great for a club or organization get- together, or just for fun. For more information, including menus and pricing, visit our Teas for You page or call (714) 540-0404 x3.

Thanks to the Victorian Tea Society and various other supporters, several of the needs listed last time have been filled.

Our piano turned out to be in repairable condition after all, and the VTS provided funds for its restoration. Now as long as we can keep the mice from chewing the strings, our visitors should be able to enjoy it for a long time to come.

Volunteers have also provided us with quite a few new girls' costumes, allowing us to retire some of the most worn out of the old ones. However, we still desperately need more boys' shirt-tie-vest combos. We could also use a few more coats in various sizes. The combo tops may require a bit more "from scratch" sewing than other items, mainly because it is almost impossible to find second-hand boys' vests these days.

We are also still interested in a new or used PA system that can support multiple cordless microphones.

If you or someone you know may be able to help us with the PA system or some boys' costumes, please call Kathy Williams at 714-540-0404 x5. Remember that all items contributed (including the materials for the costumes) are tax-deductible.