Workshop links Sonoma history, crafts

Glitter, glue, ribbons, leather and lace will be transformed into Christmas keepsakes this month during a holiday event that has become a tradition in Sonoma Valley.

The Victorian Christmas Crafts Workshop celebrates its 25th anniversary from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 16 at the home of Sonoma’s founder, Gen. Mariano Vallejo.

Docents from the Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Parks Association had little idea in 1989 that a contest to create Victorian tree ornaments for Vallejo’s home would lead to an annual event treasured by generations of local families.

Many kids who attended the event during its early days are now parents themselves, returning with their own children to make handcrafted Christmas decorations, tree ornaments and holiday gifts.

“That’s a great thing. It’s really wonderful when it goes full circle,” said Yvonne Bowers, the event chairwoman.

She and committee members Anne Cox, Linda Davis and Frances Weiner lead a group of some 20 volunteers who host 18 crafts stations. Volunteers from Sonoma Girl Scouts help docents teach kids how to make lacy potpourri sachets, candy-filled cracker tubes and dried flower arrangements crafted within emptied soup cans.

Volunteers prep the crafts in advance of the event, cutting out Santa shapes for tree ornaments, snipping colored paper for decorative spirals and baking gingerbread cookies for kids to decorate as tree ornaments.

Some of the crafts become Christmas gifts, like ribbon-adorned fans made from old-fashioned wallpaper. The gingerbread cookies rarely make it home to hang from Christmas trees.

“They are supposed to be ornaments but we know they eat them,” Bowers said.

All of the handicrafts are reminiscent of the time period when Vallejo and his large family lived at their Sonoma estate.

“All of the crafts have their roots in the Victorian era when people made things by hand,” Bowers said.

The workshop is dedicated to the memory of Kay Archibald, a longtime volunteer who chaired the event until her death. Several hundred children participate each year.

The Vallejo home state historic park is located at 363 Third St. W . Admission is $3, free for kids 12 and under. Crafts range from 25 cents to $1. Call 938-9559 for details.

The Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club provides complimentary cookies and hot beverages.

Contact Sonoma Valley Towns Correspondent Dianne Reber Hart at SonomaTowns@gmail.com.