Candlelight Tour December 2

Holiday Home Tour December 3-6                            

European Tea Room December 9-13/16-19

At The Alexander Mansion 

The stately 1904 C. H. Alexander Mansion, one of the city’s oldest residences, will be dressed in its holiday best for its annual celebration, “Christmas Magic,” with a "Holiday Home Tour" from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm on December 3-6, and the “European Tea Room” at 12:00 noon on December 9-13 and 16-19, presented by The Dallas Woman’s Forum. (December 9 is already sold out!)

The huge Christmas trees and beautiful decorations that will fill the Alexander Mansion to create “Christmas Magic” are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.

New this year! The Candlelight Tour on December 2 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm will give a sneak peek into the Mansion to enjoy the sparkling, twinkling decorations in the evening.  The festivities will begin with a ribbon cutting at 5:45 pm to open the beautiful beveled glass doors of the Mansion. Honorary Chairperson Suzanne Palmlund will be joined by the Candlelight Co-Chairs Venise Stuart and Holly Hall, Woman’s Forum President Linda Turner, and Committee Members Glenna Taite, Sally Molinari and Nikki Hanegan to make the official snip.

Guests will be treated to a festive evening of delicious bites and champagne; a Harpist and Christmas Carolers will create holiday spirit, and door prizes will add to the fun. The Holiday Boutique will be open for everyone’s shopping pleasure and the merchants will be present to assist in making Christmas gift purchases. Tickets for this fundraiser to help restore the historic Alexander Mansion are $75 and may be purchased at the door or on online at www.dallaswomansform.org. Each Candlelight ticket may be exchanged that evening only for one weekend Home Tour ticket. Cocktail Attire.

The “Christmas Magic” Holiday Home Tour will begin the next day, December 3.  Home Tour tickets will include tours of the historic Alexander Mansion, one of only two remaining mansions on Ross Avenue built at the turn of the 20th century, access to the specialty boutique upstairs where 20 merchants offer unique gift items for purchase, a chance to enter a drawing for one-of-a kind items ($5/ticket), and a selection of handmade baked goods to purchase at The Bake Sale and take home with you. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and $5 for children.

In addition, guests can enjoy a delicious lunch of soup, a gourmet salad or sandwich, dessert and a beverage in the Holiday Bistro served daily from 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Bistro tickets are $15 in advance and include lunch, beverage and dessert. Reservations are required.  Tickets will be held at the door.

Admission to the Tour and Boutique and reservations for the Holiday Bistro can be made by calling 214-823-4533 or at www.dallaswomansforum.org. 

“Christmas Magic” will continue with the “European Tea Room” which will have one seating at 12 noon on December 9-13 and 16-19. (December 9 is already sold out!) Guests will enjoy a three-course tea of sweet and savory treats, champagne, and two flavorful teas, Blue Ambrosia and the Forum’s private label Caramel Almond Bliss.  (The menu is below.)  Reservations are $50, inclusive of tea, champagne and gratuity. Reservations are required and can be made online at www.dallaswomansforum.org or by calling 214-823-4533.

“As one of the oldest residences in Dallas, The C.H. Alexander Mansion is a city treasure that is truly beautiful during the holidays.  It is a magical setting for creating special memories.  This has become a wonderful holiday tradition for Dallas families and visitors,” said Linda Turner, President.

Proceeds of the Holiday Home tour, Holiday Bistro and European Tea Room will benefit the preservation of the C.H. Alexander Mansion and the charities of The Dallas Woman’s Forum: Landauer ChildCareGroup Center, Alley’s House and Birdie Alexander School.

The Alexander Mansion is located at 4607 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75204. 

ABOUT THE DALLAS WOMAN’S FORUM 

Founded in 1906, The Dallas Woman’s Forum, a 501(c)3, is a century-old organization with a distinguished history of service to the City of  Dallas.  It is made up of notable professional and civic women leaders who are dedicated to the renovation and maintenance of the Forum’s home, the historic Alexander Mansion on Ross Avenue. 

The mansion was built by C.H. Alexander in 1904 and is now one of only two surviving examples (the other being the Belo Mansion) of the majestic residences that once lined the avenue.  After passing through two additional owners, it was purchased by The Dallas Woman’s Forum in 1930. 

For information, call (214) 823-4533, or visit www.dallaswomansforum.org.

Holiday European Tea Room Menu

Savories

Tomato Basil Soup

Smoked Salmon Mousse in Cucumber Cup

“Some Like It Hot”  Pimento Cheese on Butter Cracker

Topped with Strawberry Preserves

Spinach Artichoke Palmier

Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Almonds

Scones

White Chocolate Cranberry Scone with Devonshire Cream

Pink Arctic Freeze Salad

Sweets

Pecan Tartlet

Red Velvet Truffle Bar

Thumbprint Cookie Trimmed with Holly Leaf

Chocolate Dipped Long Stemmed Cherry

Teas 

Caramel Almond Bliss

(Private Label of the Dallas Woman’s Forum)

&

Blue Ambrosia

Catered by The Chocolate Angel

Tickets $50 (Tea, champagne, & gratuity included)

The Dallas Woman's Forum will present a discussion, book signing and champagne reception with best-selling author Sarah Bird on Saturday, January 24, at 3:30 pm at the Alexander Mansion, 4607 Ross Avenue. Bird, who is the author of eight novels, a columnist for Texas Monthly and a contributor to numerous magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine, will discuss her newest work,  Above the East China Sea.  Tickets are $30 prepaid, or $35 at the door. For prepayment by check or paypal, go to www.dallaswomansforum.org. To pay with credit card call 214-696-8877. Proceeds will benefit the restoration of The Alexander Mansion and the children’s charities of The Dallas Woman’s Forum. 

In her most ambitious, moving, and provocative novel to date, Sarah Bird makes a stunning departure. Above the East China Sea tells the entwined stories of two teenaged girls, an American and an Okinawan, whose lives are connected across seventy years by the shared experience of profound loss, the enduring strength of an ancient culture, and the redeeming power of family love.

Luz James, a contemporary U.S. Air Force brat, lives with her strictly-by-the-rules sergeant mother at Kadena Air Base in Okianawa. Luz’s older sister, her best friend and emotional center, has just been killed in the Afghan war. Unmoored by her sister’s death and a lifetime of constant moving from base to base, Luz turns for the comfort her service-hardened mother cannot offer to the “Smokinawans,” the “waste cases,” who gather to get high every night in a deserted cove. When even pills, one-hitters, Cuervo Gold, and a growing crush on Jake Furusato aren’t enough to soften the unbearable edge, the desolate girl contemplates taking her own life.

In 1945, Tamiko Kokuba, along with two hundred of her classmates, is plucked out of her elite girls’ high school and trained to work in the Imperial Army’s horrific cave hospitals. With defeat certain, Tamiko finds herself squeezed between the occupying Japanese and the invading Americans. She believes she has lost her entire family, as well as the island paradise she so loved, and, like Luz, she aches with a desire to be reunited with her beloved sister.

Propelled by a riveting narrative and set at the very epicenter of the headline-grabbing clash now emerging between the great powers, Above the East China Sea is at once a remarkable chronicle of how war shapes the lives of conquerors as well as the conquered and a deeply moving account of family, friendship, and love that transcends time.

ABOUT SARAH BIRD

Sarah is the author of eight novels. The ninth, Above the East China Sea, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in Spring 2014. Sarah has been selected for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great Writers series; a Dobie-Paisano Fellowship; New York Public Library’s 25 Books to Remember list; Elle Magazine Reader’s Prize; People Magazine’s Page Turners; Library Journal’s Best Novels; and a National Magazine Silver Award for her columns in Texas Monthly. In 2012 Sarah was voted Best Austin Author for the fourth time by the readers of the Austin Chronicle; was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame; and received the Illumine Award for Excellence in Fiction from the Austin Library Foundation. In 2013 she was selected to be The University of Texas’ Libraries Distinguished Author speaker, and was featured on NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour.

She has written screenplays for Paramount, CBS, Warner Bros, National Geographic, ABC, TNT, Hemdale Studio, and several independent producers.  Sarah’s screen adaptation of her sixth novel, The Flamenco Academy, is currently in development as well as two original screenplays. She has contributed articles to The New York Times, Salon, O Magazine, and is a columnist for Texas Monthly. Sarah, who moved all over the world growing up with her air force family, lives in Austin, Texas.

ABOUT THE DALLAS WOMAN’S FORUM 

Founded in 1906, The Dallas Woman’s Forum, a 501(c)3, is a century-old organization with a distinguished history of service to the City of  Dallas.  It is made up of notable professional and civic women leaders who are dedicated to the renovation and maintenance of the Forum’s home, the historic Alexander Mansion on Ross Avenue. 

The mansion was built by C.H. Alexander in 1904 and is now one of only two surviving examples (the other being the Belo Mansion) of the majestic residences that once lined the avenue.  After passing through two additional owners, it was purchased by The Dallas Woman’s Forum in 1930. 

For information, call (214) 823-4533, or visit www.alexandermansiondallas.com