Southern Party at the Mansion
What mansion would that be? The Palace on the Prairie, the Marland Mansion in Ponca City Oklahoma. My mother and her husband, Chester hosted a party for all the church staff in the Kay Baptist Association at the Marland Mansion this week. Chester is the Director of Missions for the association. They have had this event at other places before but the past few years have been at this beautiful landmark.
According to the Marland Mansion website:
The dream of oil baron E.W. Marland was to live in a palace. This magnificent mansion reflects the elegance of the affluent days of the oilman, who lived lavishly and entertained in the same style.

The Marland Mansion
This National Historic Landmark took three years to construct, 1925 to 1928. The mansion is 78 feet wide and 184 feet long, and contains 43,561 square feet distributed over four levels. There are 55 rooms, including 10 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, 7 fireplaces, and 3 kitchens. It takes 861 light bulbs to light the mansion.
Come with me to the bottom of the Grand Staircase

Grand Staircase
There were just over 50 guest. The guests were entertained by a very talented pianist (I’ll tell you more about him before Christmas). They dined on delicious Mexican food and sang along to the Christmas Carols.
Mama took these pictures the morning of the dinner.

Isnt' it beautiful?

Lovely
The globes on tables held green and red pillar candles and were wreathed with holly. There are also songsheets on the tables for the carol-along. The napkins (which she didn’t send me a close up of) were decorated with poinsettias.
Reports tell me that a fun time was had by all. You can read more about the Marland Mansion and see more pictures on their website.
Okay, now back to my humble abode 🙂
We are having potato soup and cornbread tonight and it will be serve yourself in the kitchen!
Looks like the decorating fairy has visited my kitchen cabinets:
Here is another peek at my Swarovski Santa and sleigh:
Another look at the fireplace:
P. S. Come join us at my new Facebook page for A Southern Life. Either follow the link on the left of search for “A Southern Life” on Facebook!
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra): White Hot Chocolate
This recipe from Sandra Lee that is good with or without a little added Christmas cheer (alcohol) .
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Vanilla whipped topping, for garnish
- Candy cane, crushed or whole, for garnish
- Peppermint liqueur, optional
- White chocolate liqueur, optional
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in the half-and-half, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Stir occasionally until heated through.
Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of vanilla whipped topping and a candy cane.
Cook’s Note: For a tasty adult drink, add desired amounts of peppermint and white chocolate liqueurs.
Tags: Souther Tablescape, Southern Christmas
December 9th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Wow, What a stunning place for a Christmas party!
Susan
December 9th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Hi Christi, I see you are decorated for Christmas down to the pig! Very pretty.
Yvonne
December 9th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Hi Christi, WOW…Love it… Love the China…
Merry Christmas
xoxo
Julie
December 9th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I swear I gain a pound when I visit you :o)
Love your pictures and that mansion is huge !
Kammy
p.s. does your pig have a name ?
December 9th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
So warm & cozy! Wind chill factor is in the teens here and I could use a cup of your hot white chocolate. Everything is so pretty!
December 9th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Beautiful, historical home for a party. Very pretty.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
What a neat post! I like the way you went from the mansion to your cozy home!
Katherine
December 9th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
So glad you have shared the mansion with us. I enjoyed this very much.
May you have a very Merry Christmas!
d from homehaven
December 9th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
What pretty inspiration! I love the firelplace mantle. Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Very pretty! And YUM for that recipe too!
December 10th, 2009 at 9:13 am
That white-hot chocolate sounds delish! Perfect for a cold, snowy day like we’re having right now.
Loved getting a peek inside the Marland Mansion, too. Those ceilings above the grand staircase are amazing!
December 10th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Beautiful. The chocolate sounds yummy.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Like mother, Like daughter. . . I fixed Potato soup and cornbread for supper last evening also and had hot white chocolate for breakfast. We didn’t have a fire in the fireplace, maybe tonight.
Mama
December 10th, 2009 at 11:07 am
What a fabulous place!! Love your mantle also!
December 10th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I love the little cabinets! I need could use a fairy like that around here.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I love love love your fireplace!!! 🙂 So pretty and warm (no pun intended). Visiting from Rhoda’s. 🙂
December 10th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Hello Christi! What a grand staircase! Just beautiful. I like your mantel and how you decorated it. Love the lights. Merry Christmas!
December 10th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
The Marland Mansion is gorgeous! So is your home… love your fireplace 🙂
Thank you for the drink recipe!
rue
December 10th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
What an incredible place. The fireplace is lovely.
December 11th, 2009 at 2:03 am
Lovely mantel!! Just lovely!
A beautiful place…just beautiful!
December 12th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I dropped by for Pink Saturday and decided to look around a bit. Everything looks so FESTIVE and lovely I just wanted to comment here too. Loved the ‘Home Tour’ and congratulations on your upcoming Blogoversary. Here’s to many more years of delightful posts 😉
Hugs and blessings,
December 14th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
How festive & Pretty! Thanks for joining the party. Merry Christmas!
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
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