(Photo | Pixabay)

The Lara House Bed and Breakfast will soon be home to Santa and Mrs. Claus! Beginning on Friday, November 29 and running every weekend until Christmas and through the week before Christmas, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Historic Lara House in Bend. Santa has set up his office and workshop and Mrs. Claus is in the kitchen baking fresh cookies.

Santa Claus’ House has been a goal of long-time Bend resident, Dave Felton. “I’ve been lucky enough to be one of Santa’s helpers for 11 years now,” Felton said. He says he had the idea for a truer Santa experience a few years ago after working as a mall Santa in Seattle for a season. “I got to see over 10,000 people that year. The lines were sometimes more than two hours long, and then there was a quick photo and that was it.”

Santa Claus’s house visits will be by appointment only and will include 15- to 45-minute photo sessions and meetings with Santa. “Mrs Claus will be the hostess,” says Felton, “greeting guests at the door, and leading them into the house. They will meet with Santa in his workshop, sharing stories, letters, wishes, and asking questions. Santa will make sure everyone is on the nice list, and then the guests get to have cookies with Mrs. Claus.” Digital photos will be provided at the end of each visit.

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s Santa Claus House will be donated to Healthy Beginnings, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that children enter their school life ready to learn, contribute, and thrive by conducting free comprehensive, health and developmental assessments for children between 0-5 years old. Mrs. Claus, aka Anne-Marie Daggett, said, “We’re full of peppermint and gingerbread about partnering with Healthy Beginnings this year!”

All of this takes place inside the beautifully decorated Lara House Bed and Breakfast in the Historic District of Bend. Appointments and more information about Santa Claus’s House can be found online at SantaClaus.house  or SantaInBend.com.