Vintage Christmas in Boulder, Colorado

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For my husband's birthday this past weekend, we went to Boulder, Colorado for an overnight stay in the Hotel Boulderado.  The town was kicking off the Christmas season, and the hotel was festively decorated. In fact, the first person we saw upon arrival was Santa Claus, eating in the hotel's cafe!
That seriously really set the mood!


It was a little getaway that I won at my work Christmas party last year.  It's a lovely, historical hotel, and one that we probably wouldn't have gotten to otherwise. We had a large corner room, with a bed that was so wonderfully comfortable that we both got a great night's sleep.
Before dinner, we went to the town's little holiday light's parade.  It was so much fun -- very "small town" feeling.
It was a super cold night, about 24 degrees before the windchill.  We bundled up like crazy (including long underwear) but it was so unbearable that were only able to stay for about 40 minutes before we ran back to the warmth of the hotel!

We really enjoyed ourselves, and Dennis had a memorable birthday!
The famous glass ceiling in the hotel's lobby.
The pretty church we could see from the window of our room.
On the way home, we stopped at a favorite antique store!  Dennis was very, very patient with me while I enjoyed all the vintage Christmas things I could find there!  Three hours went by very, very quickly.  Luckily -- they have a sitting area with a TV where Dennis and the other guys were hanging out, watching the game while wives shopped.




 Christmas overload!







This giraffe cracked me up -- the idea was to stretch out its neck and use it display your Christmas cards!
 I gasped when I saw this set of Three Wise Men, because I'd just left the exact same set behind at a thrift store a few days before!  This set was selling for $20; at the thrift store it was going for about $6.
This was the weirdest thing I saw there: a couple of "Christmas trees" made from old metal ironing boards.  
I didn't really "get" them.
And, this was the creepiest thing I saw there:
A framed picture, where the faces of three people were printed inside the shape of a bow.  Or, maybe they were painted?  I'm not really sure.  Do you think it's as creepy as I do?

Comments

Kelli Davidson said…
Thanks for taking me back to visit Boulder. I used to live there in the early 90's...........sometimes I feel like that was the only place I ever lived that I felt like I was "home". I miss it terribly and made me smile to see it once again.

I love that antique mall you went to - the bow is strange and I wouldn't want it hanging in my house however, the Ironing Board Christmas Tree was cool! not only is it perfect for those who have tiny tiny apartments - it could do double duty - to those who cannot afford a real tree or an incredibly expensive artificial tree. I'm thinking about when I was a single mom in college living in a studio apartment with my little daughter...........that "tree" would have been perfect.
December 9, 2016 at 7:20 AM
Marrianna said…
Okay, I'm going to pass on the idea of the antique store: have a seating area with a TV for the husbands to sit, watch TV, and stay out of the way. One of my pet peeves is husbands who "trail" behind their wives while the wife is shopping. They just get in the way. We have one great church bazaar every November. It runs for 2 consecutive Saturdays. One of my favorite areas is what they call AUNT HATTIE'S ATTIC. It has so much vintage goods it makes your head swim. And people are squeezed right behind each other. Oftentimes, at this same sale, I go into that room and start from the supposedly END of the tour. It's not a big room but those ladies pack in lots of stuff to sell.

Anyway, I love the historic hotel and the stained glass ceiling. So happy that you won this last Christmas from your work for Dennis's birthday. You both look super happy.

I used to live in Prescott, Arizona, and they have an annual tree lighting event right after Thanksgiving. There were so many years that had feet (plural) of snow and cold weather. Global warming is changing that but it is still darn cold at night. Prescott has an elevation of 5200 feet. Flagstaff is 7000 feet. On New Years Eve, we have a PINK CONE DROP at midnight. No, I don't attend and hope I have the clear head to never volunteer to attend with visitors.

Happy Christmas,
Marrianna
December 9, 2016 at 8:07 AM
Linda said…
Lovely feeling of joy in the air, along with a wonderful stay at a great hotel...what a start to the holiday season. I notice quite a few "elves on the shelves". I get a kick out of seeing them, but they are very rare up here in Canada. Thanks for the chance to go "window shopping" through the antique mall also.

Belated happy birthday to your husband also.

Merry Christmas to All,
Linda.
December 9, 2016 at 9:17 AM
The Junque Seeker said…
Cuties! So glad you got to have such a special weekend, and how wonderful that it was a prize! The hotel looks lovely.

The idea of the tv lounge at the antique mall is genius. That bow is truly creepy, and I can't imagine anyone other than a family member of those pictured even remotely wanting it!
December 9, 2016 at 8:37 PM
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