Anyone wondering what Santa’s workshop might look like need not travel farther than the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion in late November, when busy bodies are buzzing from room to room, excitingly decking its halls for the annual holiday kick-off party next month.

The mansion has hosted the event for more than a decade to support the Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund. But this year’s festivity has a twist.

For the first time, the governor’s office is partnering with the preservation fund “to work together on building out the theme and make sure that it really represents Colorado,” said Danielle Oliveto, Gov. Jared Polis’ deputy chief of staff. “It was really exciting for us … and a team-building exercise.”

This year’s theme is “Naturally Colorado: A Holiday Celebration of Botanical Inspiration.” Each room in the residence highlights elements of the state’s changing seasons.

For example, the library celebrates autumn with displays of citrus fruits and cinnamon sticks.

The Palm and Well Rooms symbolize winter, mostly white with red splashes of cranberries, pomegranates, ornaments and magnolia blossoms (a nod to Saint Nick’s suit).

The Governor’s Room features spring flowers, while the summer room boasts bright pops of color and lots of fresh fruit.

Another room in the residence showcases Hanukkah traditions with antique dreidels and menorahs of white, silver and blue.

 “We wanted to make sure we highlighted Hanukkah this year with our first Jewish governor,” Oliveto said. “This is definitely going to be a theme for the next few years.”

Some of the Jewish art featured in the room was donated by the Mizel Museum, Denver’s Jewish art museum. Two larger menorahs were expected to be delivered soon and will come from Temple Emanuel, the first synagogue in Colorado.

Another theme interwoven into the holiday celebration is recycling, an issue Polis has advocated for.

Over the party’s 11-year history, holiday decorations have never been reused, said Coco Criste, Executive Director of the Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund.

Much of what adorns “Colorado’s home” came from storage in the basement, she said.

It took roughly 30 of Polis’ staff, cabinet and volunteers to get the job done – and they’ve still got a little way to go before showtime.

Supporting the team’s decorating efforts is design expert David Rote in the American Society of Interior Designers’ Colorado chapter. It’s been holiday tradition for the mansion to invite members from the group to run wild in its walls.

The holiday kickoff party will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 400 E. 8th Ave. Tickets are $65 and sell quickly. The reception includes a performance by Denver Pops Orchestra will perform, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.  

Free public tours will be given from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 5-8 and 12-15.  

The 2019 commemorative holiday ornament features the carriage house at the Boettcher Mansion. The structure was originally built as part of a private residence by the Cheesman family in 1908. Ironically, the carriage house was not used for horse-drawn carriages, but automobiles.

Today, the carriage house, which was renovated in 2006, serves as a meeting place for nonprofits, government offices, corporations and more.

The ornament is 11th in a series created by Denver-based Whitney Designs Inc., and is available for $35 online or during the free holiday tours in December. All proceeds go toward the Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund.

The entire ornament collection goes for $385. All ornaments are brass and hand-finished in 24-karat gold.