WLM | Wyoming Woman
CHEYENNE’S CHRISTMAS HOUSE
Celebrates 47 Years of
Helping through the Holidays
By Kati Hime & Phyllis Salzburg
Images provided by GFWC Women’s Civic League of Cheyenne
C
hristmas and the holiday
season are full of miracles
and magic for many different
individuals. There is the miracle
of Jesus’ birth for Christians, the
Hanukkah festival and miracle of
light and oil for our Jewish friends,
the magic of Santa Claus visiting
the entire world in one night. If
you happen to follow GermanRussian history, there is the magic
of animals able to speak at midnight
on Christmas Eve/Day. My
grandmother’s peanut butter balls
were pretty magical when I was a
kid. How she covered them with
melted chocolate without leaving
any fingerprints…I was never
2015 Christmas House,
Home of
Keith & Shawn Zabka
22
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Autumn & Holiday 2015
able to master it. Now as an adult,
there’s the magic of my husband’s
wrap jobs – he can wrap gifts neater
than anyone! I stick to my catchall solution, wrapping the entire
package in mounds of tape when
there’s no hope left. (Or, the magic
of a gift bag! Voila!)
If you’re a Cheyenne resident, you
are aware of one more special, local
Christmas-time magical event …
the annual Christmas House. The
work of the General Federation of
Women’s Clubs (GFWC) Women’s
Civic League of Cheyenne (WCLC),
this annual fundraising project of the
non-profit organization is in its 47th
year in 2015. A different, beautiful
Cheyenne home is selected each year
along with a special theme, and the
home is transformed into a holiday
wonderland. The spirited lady
elves of the WCLC spring to work
months in advance, preparing this
special event.
The decorated rooms in the home
are infused with special bits of
holiday magic – each room with
a different theme – displaying
handmade items for sale. In just
a few of the themed rooms, you’ll
find: delectable holiday treats in
the kitchen, ornaments – elegant to
home-spun – in the Hall of Trees,
hand-painted ostrich eggs in the Art
Gallery, quilts, quilted accents in the