CHRISTOPHER REINA is in the country kitchen where the "wallpaper" is a collage of < food pictures. I^Mking at the^rought Jron pig on the potbellied stove is Skipper, one of the numerous pets.

menagerie of pets and animals awaiting adoption through the Animal Welfare Society, of which the Reinas are members. . An early forage by Bonnie irfthe attic of the house revealed a collection of paper dolls and calling cards left by the original owners which helped to establish some further history of the house They also recalled to Bonnie her own childhood, in which she spent hours playing dolls and arranging her cutouts. The Sea House has become a Cape May landmark as a virtual Christmas paradise and has even spiced local scuttlebutt as decorated beginning right after Labor Day. Another rumor has it that Bonnie never takes down the Christmas decorations. While it is true that one bare tree remains througKdut the year and is dedorated for the various holidays, such as Valentine’s Day and Halloween, The Sea House rewards it occupants with quieter comforts than the gossip wags dictate. During the summer months, the glass enclosed porch is a restful retreat to observe the comings and goings of the beach crowd, and the rear garden serves as a setting for impromptu barbecues, all without the added inducement of eternal Christmas as legend persists. But, Bonnie et al, is an admitted

Christmas freak, and once the decorating starts in early December, it is the family’s consuming passion. The large living room tree becomes ladden with dozens of homemade ornaments, and the floor beneath is covered with "tons of presents" for family and visiting relatives which spark yet another rumor — that the gaily wrapped bdkes are mere fakes. Bonnie’s zeal/or Christmas led-the way for another tradition in Cape May — the inauguration of the Mid-Atlantic Center's Candlelight tours about ten years ago. She has chaired the annual event for many Christmases since and The Sea House has opened its door to thousands of people over the years who come to see their own childhood fantasies recreated in doll houses, toy displays, stockings hung by the living room fireplace, a miniature Santa’s workshop ^and the wonderland of Christmas trees. It has only been within the past year or so that Christopher has reluctantly given up believing in Santa Claus, but as Christmas unfolds at The Sea House there lingers the question as 'to whether his mother — Bonnie — ever will.

Libby Demp Forrest of Cape May, a fre quent contributo/Jto the 'Herald and Lantern, lives In a vintage home herself.

4.-5?

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