Holidays With Hazel: A 1922 Christmas Gathering

Thurs. Dec. 18th, 2025 - This holiday season, guests were invited to step back in time for Holidays With Hazel, an immersive evening at the Bembridge House set during a Christmas gathering in Long Beach, 1922. The experience blended history, hospitality, and theatrical storytelling, transforming the house into a living snapshot of early twentieth-century life.

The evening was guided by family matriarch Hazel Rankin, portrayed by Mimi Masher. As Hazel, Mimi welcomed guests into her home as if they were friends and acquaintances arriving for a holiday visit, setting the tone for an evening that felt personal, intimate, and delightfully transportive.

Many guests arrived dressed in fancy attire, embracing the spirit of the era as they toured the beautifully decorated home. Rather than following a traditional docent-led format, visitors moved through the house while engaging in conversation about daily life in Long Beach in 1922 — from growing neighborhoods and family routines to seasonal traditions and the rhythms of a rapidly changing city. Holiday music filled the rooms, adding warmth and atmosphere as the house came alive with sound and conversation.

Throughout the evening, guests were treated to a thoughtfully curated menu that reflected both comfort and celebration. Offerings included warm appetizers, a nostalgic cranberry fluff salad, and champagne, along with a cozy hot cocoa and cookie bar that encouraged guests to linger and mingle. The experience was designed to feel less like a performance and more like being welcomed into a well-appointed home during the holidays.

Holidays With Hazel exemplified the Bembridge House’s approach to interpretation: history presented not behind ropes or placards, but through shared experience, storytelling, and hospitality. By inviting guests to step into Hazel Rankin’s world, the evening offered a deeper connection to the people who once lived in the house and to the everyday moments that shaped life in Long Beach a century ago.

As laughter, music, and conversation filled the rooms, Holidays With Hazel reminded guests that the most enduring histories are often found not only in grand events, but in gatherings around a table — and in the warmth of being welcomed home for the holidays.