Spreading Holiday Cheer at Santa’s Christmas Cottage by the Gardner Team

“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” – Charles M. Schulz

For more than 17 years, the Gardner Team in Sherwood, Oregon, has done just that by transforming its historic victorian building into something magical: Santa’s Christmas Cottage.

Draped in holiday lights, sprinkled with snow, and enveloped with festive spirit, the annual event draws visitors from near and far. The welcoming front porch beckons visitors to explore the decked-out interior, including a room brimming with toys, a bustling mail center for Santa’s letters, and a cozy living room filled with decorated Christmas trees.

Children can peer into window displays through frosted glass, get their very own elf name, and take photos with Santa. They can also pay a visit to the toy shoot, where gifts miraculously slide down to children waiting at the bottom. With a gift stockpile of over 3,000 toys, every child is wrapped in joy when they visit Santa’s Christmas Cottage.

The Gardner Team spares no merry detail in putting together their event, which is open every day during the holiday season. The event has taken on a life of its own, welcoming thousands of visitors annually. The team even takes special care to ensure every letter to Santa (almost 800 per year) is personally answered with a handwritten note.

This event truly embodies the holiday spirit by supporting small businesses in the Sherwood community, typically raising between $10,000 and $20,000 for local businesses. Raffle tickets and other funds raised by the event go right back into the neighborhood, as the team buys hundreds of gift cards from local restaurants, boutiques, and businesses that serve as raffle prizes. 

These small businesses receive an influx of cash from the initial gift card purchase and money later on when raffle winners come in to spend their winning gift cards. Small businesses are the lifeblood of the community, and this is the perfect opportunity to support them after a challenging few years.

Make no mistake – this event is quite a production. But the Gardner Team found an unexpected connection between creating a magical holiday experience and the daily skills they use in real estate. From staging, decorations, graphic design, and event management, the team leveraged the skills that make them successful to create astonishing Christmas magic. 

The Garnder Team’s spectacular dedication to creating Christmas magic for their community adds extra sparkle to the holiday season, inspiring both kids and adults to be swept away with holiday joy.