A Visit To The Mission Inn 2022

"As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is." -- Eric Sevareid

2022-12-27 We Dine And Visit The Mission Inn

But first Paul gets the stitches removed in Long Beach at 8:30 AM.  It was so quick and Mary's doctor's appointment was canceled that we stopped by Old Ranch and had a wonderful breakfast.  Charlotte dropped in on her way to the first hole, she had a 9:00 AM tee-time.

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Sitting across the table from her makes my day!!!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Our waitress had to take pictures of us!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Paul got a Christmas Goose!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
All smiles!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Now we are lit up!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We are headed home.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Merry Christmas Old Ranch

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Robin is a saint always taking care of her sister Mary!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We had a glass of wine and swapped the latest gossip!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Ready for my wine!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Colleen's Christmas gift to the Duda's had just arrived!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
What could it be?

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
A little space man!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The search for a ga-zen-ta was begun immediately!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Nick knows where all the plugs are!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Found one! Ready for a test!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Wow!! Robin was amazed at the clarity and this is out of the box,
no customization yet!!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We love to visit the Disney Tree!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
It stands by itself in the family room.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The classical tree is in the living room!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Mary captures the magic!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We got a choo-choo running around the tree!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Santa is everywhere!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Of course, with Mrs. Claus.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Disney is not far away!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Down the hall to the family room the projector is running!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The magic of astronomy!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa's Festival of Lights is one of the nation's largest holiday light collections, voted "Best Public Lights Display" by USA Today. Every year The Inn's festival gains new energy, grows in popularity, and ushers in an increasing number of visitors to the Riverside area. Countless individuals make the yearly trek to The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We got parking very close to the dining area; we were amazed!!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The inn was fairly busy!

Did You Know? - The hotel has played host to U.S. Presidents and celebrities and was the setting for Hollywood productions including 1915ʼs "The Vampire", 1938ʼs "Idiotʼs Delight" and 1997ʼs "Man in the Iron Mask". Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, Hoover, Nixon, Reagan and Bush Jr; social leaders such as Booker T. Washington, Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller and John Muir; and entertainers including Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand and James Brolin have all stayed, dined and relaxed at Mission Inn throughout its storied, nearly 150- year history.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Mary was excited seeing all the decorations!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Beware of the fearsome foursome!
A force to be reckoned with!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We are going by buy new teeth for Nick so he will smile!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Oops! He smiled!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

Did You Know? - Decorated in colorful tiles, vaulted ceilings, ornate wall sconces and marble accents, the Mission Inn Restaurant's centerpiece is a state-of-the-art display kitchen, where chefs prepare signature comfort foods and light fare.

The Spanish Patio represents a castle's inner court and offers amazing views surrounded by awe-inspiring architecture and beauty. This location is a guest favorite and one of the most beautiful courtyards in the country.

Recognized as a "Top 100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in America" by OpenTable Diner's Choice Awards the adjacent Spanish Patio is an al fresco dining spot surrounded by the bell tower, Anton's Clock and Glockenspiel, a collection of bells from missions throughout the United States, and a circular tiled fountain.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We had 4:30 PM reservations at the Mission Inn Dining Room

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Nick samples the wine!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
"Hey, this is the good stuff!"

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We got another opinion from Robin.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The house  Chardonnay was "poopy"!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Mary selected Chardonnay from her home, Medford Oregon!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Steak-bite appetizer!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
"Come on Nick, mussels are good for you!!"

Did You Know? - Mussels have more iron than fillet steak! It's quite amazing to think that such a small morsel can have so much iron, but it does. Mussels are a great source of iron. They are a lean protein and will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Steamed mussels are healthy, delicious and super easy to prepare.

In every mussel, you will find omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A and B12, zinc, iodine and selenium. Those vitamins and minerals can help improve brain function, reduce inflammatory conditions, regulate thyroid hormones and contribute to your overall immune system and healthy eyes and glowing skin.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
He was still not so sure about this dish so Papa Paul devoured the entire bowl!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The lobby roses were spectacular!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
A nice lady took our picture!!
(PAul is wearing his new duster Mary got me for Christmas)

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
"Not a good idea Bob, he remembers!"

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Someone was on the naughty list!!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Awe... Mary was on the good list!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Robin was also a good girl!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Definitely a "must have".... for someone else!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Up and down every aisle in search of the perfect _________!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Paul thought of cousin Claudia when we saw the Precious Moments

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Ah ha! Vintage clothes; this requires further investigation!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Old odds and ends from collections everywhere!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Mary examines another potential treasure!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
She is smiling, she is getting close!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Do you remember the aluminum Christmas tree craze in the late-1950s?

Did You Know? - The craze started in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1959. As with all grand advances in civilization, the credit goes to those who made them commercially viable—and the Ford of the aluminum tree was the Aluminum Specialty Company, based in the small, blue-collar city on Lake Michigan.

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, Tom Gannon, toy sales manager for the Aluminum Specialty Company, saw a metal tree in a store window during a visit to Chicago in 1958. Modern Coatings, Inc., had a patent on them, but its version was expensive and bulky. Gannon brought the idea back to his engineers, who made the trees cheaper—the price went from $75 to $85 down to $25—as well as easier to mass produce and easier to put up and break down. Aluminum Specialty took a gamble and produced hundreds of thousands for the following Christmas, eventually branding it the "Evergleam."

Soon after, several aluminum manufacturers found themselves in the Christmas business, and the trees were everywhere, ranging from tabletop models to eight feet tall; silver was popular, but they came in a variety of colors. Trees were paired with spotlights and color wheels that made them twinkle in rotating hues. In one popular variation, the needles erupted into a kind of pompom at the tip of each rigid branch, like shooting stars.

And then came Charlie Brown, and he ruined everything.

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
They even had vintage incandescent light bulbs!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
There has got to be a frog in here somewhere!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!
Scout gets frustrated with Snowmen!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The twelve story Christmas tree was on the adjacent building!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We walked to the car via the front of the hotel; it was beginning to rain!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Mary spotted the "Festival of Lights" sign!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!
Scout got what he wanted this year!

Christmas visit to the Mission Inn 2022 with Robin, Bob, and Nick!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
She began to lead us, to the car!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
"Please, don't get my wings wet! I won't be able to fly!"

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
The more we walked, the more the rains came!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
We ducked inside the hotel and walked through the lobby to get to the car!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Watch out for these two!
It could be scarier, Colleen could have been here!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Love those hotel ornaments!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
Santa! What are you doing? A peeping Santa??

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn
A view from our parking place!

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn

12/22/27 Visit To The Mission Inn