Mrs Claus has been working away since last Christmas, and now her baked goods are ready to share (kind of). Photo: Kellie Prescott.
Canberra’s very own Mrs Claus Bakery has opened at a house in Kambah, and it’s welcoming visitors of all ages.
The owner of the house, Kellie Prescott, aka Mrs Claus, has been busy ‘baking’ away since early July to get everything ready for Christmas.
There’s pumpkin pies, apple slices, mince pies and more, but the only catch is the food isn’t real.
However, it does make for a great photo.
Kellie has handcrafted all of the goods herself and reckons it took her about two weeks, using up a lot of wall putty.
Now Canberrans can come along to pretend they are at the North Pole, sipping a cup of tea and munching on a scone with Santa and his elves.
On a couple of dates later in December, Santa, the elf and a Grinch will also be in attendance (Kellie’s son and his mates).
You can sit down, take a load off, and pretend you’re at the North Pole at Mrs Claus Bakery. Photo: Kellie Prescott.
As for why she does it all, Kellie says it’s simple: she loves Christmas.
“I also love baking and trying new things, and I really wanted to do something different, and also something a bit interactive,” she says.
Kellie can pinpoint the moment she really started loving the holiday season as being when her children were small.
“It was something about seeing the looks on their faces so we just started decorating,” she says.
For about the past 15 years, Kellie has been decorating her house. Not only is there a Mrs Claus Bakery for people to enjoy, there’s also a Reindeer Barn where kids can come along and feed the reindeer and play at Santa’s and the elves’ desks.
There’s also a rocking chair and fire where Santa likes to relax.
Out the front of the house is Mrs Claus Bakery as well as an inflatable display.
As you can see, Mrs Claus has been busy preparing for Christmas. Photo: Kellie Prescott.
Kellie has already had good attendance this year, but has noticed the inclement weather has kept people away.
Two years ago, she set up a Santa shopfront and says that was the busiest year ever.
“We had hundreds of people coming through,” says Kellie.
Last year, she set up Santa and his sleigh to make it look like it was in the street.
“You could come along and ride in the sleigh and get photos,” she says.
When Kellie started the display, she started small. But during the years, it’s grown to become the extravaganza Canberrans can enjoy today.
She doesn’t charge for entry, nor does she use it as a fundraising event.
Santa and the elf will make a few guest appearances in Kambah this December. Photo: Kellie Prescott.
“You know what? I love Christmas and I love people coming through here and having a look and seeing the smiles on kids’ faces,” says Kellie.
“I just want people to enjoy it.”
After the past two years of COVID-19, Kellie is particularly excited to invite people to come together and explore her decorations.
“Just to see people out and about, to see the smiling children as they feed the reindeer, it will be really good,” she enthuses.
As proof it’s not only kids who love Christmas, Mrs Claus Bakery will receive a special visit from a local nursing home on Wednesday, 15 December.
You can find Mrs Claus Bakery display at Trimmer Place in Kambah.
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