Holiday

Merry Christmas from

the Marin Mommies Team!

Even though it's an activity that you can do year-round, ice skating seems to be something that's especially appealing around this time of year. While you're not going to be able to go ice skating in Marin (those who grew up here probably remember Raydine's in Corte Madera, at the site of Gold's Gym), there are several locations close by where you can hit the ice.

Probably the neighborhood with the highest concentration of amazing Christmas houses per capita in Marin is Marinwood. Marinwood, situated between Novato and San Rafael, was home to the now-defunct Santa's House, which operated until 1994. Anyone who grew up in Marin will probably know exactly which one I mean. It was possibly the Best Christmas House Ever. Even though it's gone, there are others that are really worth visiting.
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We just checked out the Christmas house at San Rafael's venerable West End Nursery, which has been located in San Rafael's Sun Valley neighborhood since 1909. The Christmas house is located on the grounds of the nursery in a 100-year-old Victorian house. It's filled to the brim with Christmas trees and decorations, and it's pretty amazing. There are 50 lavishly decorated and lighted trees, located in several rooms. Each room has a different theme, and each in turn has its own theme. Entry is free, but all the ornaments and decorative items are for sale. They also have wreaths and numerous other seasonal items. Santa himself will be paying a visit to the West End Nursery on Sunday, December 16, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Marin Mommies is pleased to present the second in a series of guest posts by pediatricians Dr. Steven Martel and Dr. Oded Herbsman. Drs. Herbsman and Martel are the founders of Child’s Light Pediatrics, Inc., an innovative, house-call based pediatric practice that serves Marin and San Francisco.

There has been a lot of media attention regarding the risk of lead exposure from children’s toys. Most of this attention has been focused on the risk of exposure from lead paint in toys made in China.

What is lead poisoning?

Lead is a toxic metal that affects the nervous system.  It is absorbed primarily through the inhalation of lead dust and ingestion of lead products.  Lead poisoning generally occurs slowly after repeated exposures.

[We thought we'd bump up this article for the holidays, since it's relevant.] When shopping for toys, I like the many one-of-a-kind toy stores we have here in Marin. There are a variety of alternatives to Toys-R-Us and Target; locally owned, unique shops where you can find those interesting birthday, Christmas or “just because” gifts.

Every December, Marin's power grid is put to the test by the annual unveiling of the Rombeiro's Christmas House on Devonshire Drive in Novato. Sure, every neighborhood has its decorated houses, but this is a different thing altogether. Edmundo Rombeiro and his family have been putting together this Mother of All Christmas Houses for the last 23 years, and every year it gets bigger and more outrageous. This place is something that truly has to be seen to be believed, and photos don't really do it justice.
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If you read our part one of our exploration of Christmas tree farms in the North Bay, you'd know that you don't have to trek all the way out to the wilds of Sebastopol just to chop down your own tree. There are a handful of Christmas tree farms in Petaluma, the Sonoma County town closest to the Marin County line. We managed to get to two of them: Larsen's Christmas Tree Farm and Liberty Christmas Tree Farm. Both are located in the rural area to the northwest of Petaluma proper. We wanted to hit Little Hills Christmas Tree Farm, located on Chapman Lane off of Western Avenue, but we never made it, unfortunately.