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VIA stirs up holiday spirit at St. Nicholas Tea and Sleigh Boutique

Women’s civic organization in Rehoboth Beach was founded in 1909
The Village Improvement Association recently hosted its 19th annual St. Nicholas Tea and Sleigh Boutique. VIA member Kathleen Leithiser is shown making the rounds. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
November 15, 2025

Story Location:
Village Improvement Association
415 North Boardwalk
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States

Over the course of three days and five sold-out seatings, the Village Improvement Association recently hosted its 19th annual St. Nicholas Tea and Sleigh Boutique.

Taking place at the VIA’s home on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk, the annual event, held Nov. 7-9, featured boutique shopping and gift baskets.

In addition to all the gift items, there was a three-course meal of tea pastries and finger sandwiches. The first course included lemon blueberry scones with lemon curd, tea and water. The second course was chicken salad in wonton chips, cucumber sandwich, swiss cheese crostini, crab tarts and pimento cheese stacked rounds. The third course had poinsettia spritz cookies, merry berry cheese bars, brownie bites, pecan crowns and key lime tartlets. Available for all three courses, were Poinsettias – a champagne cocktail with cranberry juice.

The Village Improvement Association was founded in Rehoboth Beach in 1909 and is part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

In 2024, members volunteered 25,087 hours to projects and donated about $38,000 of their own money as in-kind gifts. Members collected more than $2,000 for gift cards and clothes to donate to high school students and seniors in nursing facilities. Additionally, through fundraising events and the public’s support of those events, the VIA was able to donate $58,000 to its charities.

For more information on the Village Improvement Association, 415 N. Boardwalk, call 302-227-1631 or go to rehobothbeachvia.org.

 

Mary Gears, event chair, welcomes tea attendees while Kathy Cannatelli holds the mic.
Preparing menu items to be served are in back (l-r) Pat O’Brien, Joan Schrieber and Kay Monack. Shown in front are Valerie Evans, Susan Ruiz, Kathy Nave, Debi Angus and Beth Magnus.
VIA member Virginia Anderson holds open her pick-a-dilly gift apron for attendee Sharon Ferrara.
Before tea is served, the women chat.
A number of different items suitable for gift-giving await holiday shoppers.
Veteran tea attendees know the best sitting to go to is the first because the gifts are the best.
It can’t be a St. Nicholas party unless St. Nicholas shows up.
Place settings and décor differed from table to table.
Plates of cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad on wonton cups, and ham-and-cheese stacks are ready to be served.
Holiday greenery adorns the dune fencing in front of the VIA decorated the dune fencing in front of its clubhouse.
Plenty of ocean-themed goodies await boutique shoppers.
Another round of steaming hot tea is poured into a teapot.
A mantel full of festive teapots greets guests as they enter.
The menu includes traditional tea-style finger sandwiches.

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Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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