Tea and a Holiday Hippo too

Went for Holiday Tea at the amazing old Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena with the big bug, along with her best friend and her mom and grandma. (Thanks for all the planning Ellen!!)So lovely - and as an extra special bonus Bob Baker and his marionettes (an L.A. institution since 1961!). My favorite (which I unfortunately didn't get a photo of) was a young girl complete with red nightgown, singing "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". She "walked" around the circle of kids, sitting on the occasional lap, and pleading for this gift from Santa. Oh what fun! Santa, of course was there too. And lovely teas and dainties with special trays for the kids. Think this should become a holiday tradition.



By the way, "I Want a Hippopotamus..." is one of my favorite Christmas songs. And one my mom remembers from her childhood. As the story goes, it was written in 1950 by John Rox and became a nationwide hit in 1953 when ten-year-old Oklahoma native and child star, Gayla Peevey recorded it with the Mitch Miller Orchestra for Columbia Records. It caught on as a way to raise money for the Oklahoma City Zoo for acquisition of a hippopotamus. They urged children to send in their nickels to buy Gayla her wish. In December of that year Gayla received Matilda the hippo for Christmas. She donated her gift to the city and Matilda lived at the zoo until her death in 1998.