I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas: Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns (for OAC)
By Denice Rovira Hazlett
August 17, 2012
327
Christmas will be here before we know it, and, this year, according to Bonnie Coblentz, Marketing Coordinator for Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, it's beginning to look a lot like chocolate?
Coblentz is talking about this year's Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns to be held from 1-6 pm on Sunday, Dec. 2 and Monday Dec. 3, the delicious event that pairs the holiday tradition of sharing Christmas cookies with an opportunity to sneak a peek at some of the area's finest hotels and inns. And the sharing continues as all the profits benefit two local charities, The Love Center food pantry and Hospice of Holmes County, whose volunteers also help with the tour.
"The first year," Coblentz says, "we started planning in September for the one-day event, sold 140 tickets, and raised $1,000. We thought that was amazing!"
What's even more amazing is that now, in its fifth year, the Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns has grown into a wildly popular two-day event, contributing more than $30,000 to local charities and welcoming guests from near and far to participate in the festivities.
Last year, the self-guided tour, created by the Amish Country Lodging Council, sold the last ticket long before the snow flew. The Council hopes to remedy that this year by making even more tickets available, 700 for each event day, for $30 each beginning Oct. 1.
This year's theme, I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas, will have each participating inn concocting cookies that feature everyone's favorite confection, including delights like caramel chocolate cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, and even a vegan chocolate cookie. Each inn also serves other refreshments and beverages during the tour.
"We're encouraging inns to have chocolate inspiration in their decorations," Coblentz says. "Last year's theme was 'A Very Vintage Christmas.' Inns decorated with tinsel trees, vintage cards, and other memorabilia. I'm hoping they get into the spirit with this chocolate theme, too."
Participating inns are the Berlin Grande Hotel, the Barn Inn, Berlin Hotel & Suites, Carlisle Inns of Sugarcreek and Walnut Creek, Comfort Suites Berlin, the brand new Country Inn & Suites in Dover, the Grapevine House Bed & Breakfast in Winesburg, the Inn at Amish Door in Wilmot, Sojourner's Lodge in Dundee, Hannah's House Bed and Breakfast and Zinck's Inn, both in Berlin.
Guests will receive a souvenir booklet with all the information needed to plan their route ahead of time to make the most of their tour.
Monica Hiller of Dundee participated in the tour the first year and was very pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was.
"I took my sister on the tour for her birthday," Hiller says. "It was really great, because, I mean, I love cookies! And, the variety these places had was amazing."
Hiller also appreciated the souvenir booklet, which includes the recipes for the inns' featured cookies. She also enjoyed the opportunity to visit the inns.
"Some, I'd never seen before and didn't even know existed," Hiller says. This year, Hiller might treat her granddaughters to the tour. One little one, she says, is a real cookie monster.
Coblentz says the event wouldn't be successful without the hard work the innkeepers put into it.
"They've taken hold of this and seen how huge of a difference it makes for these charities," Coblentz says. "We have an amazing group of innkeepers in this area."
But above all else, Coblentz is sure of one thing about this year's tour that guests are sure to savor.
"It's going to be chocolatey, chocolatey, chocolatey!"
For more information, check out christmascookietour.com (there's even a ticker to count down the day until tickets go on sale!), visit them on Facebook, or call 877-643-8824.
