Christmas Tea Nourishes Elderly

Sam Weller |

Dec 13, 1999

Bookselling
Christmas Tea Nourishes Elderly Sam Weller -- 12/13/99 Three Upper Midwest organizations are hoping to dispel the myth that Christmas is just for kids. LifePlace, a Twin Cities retailer of products for the elderly; publisher Waldman House Press, in Minneapolis; and the Good Samaritan Society, the largest long-term senior care organization in the country, headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., are hoping that people will think about their elderly loved ones this holiday season. Forming what LifePlace owner Michelle Witte calls a "strategic partnership," the three companies designated December 4 as "Remember Me Day" -- an event she hopes will become an annual celebration to honor the memories and traditions of seniors during the holiday season. The linchpin of the event this year is the holiday title A Cup of Christmas Tea, originally published by Waldman House in 1982. To date, the book has sold 1.3 million copies. Witte's two retail stores, one in the Mall of America, another in St. Paul's Rosedale shopping center, will donate 10% of all sales of the book, as well as its sequel, A Memory of Christmas Tea, and the Waldman senior-focused title Older Love to the Good Samaritan Society. Sales of the books through Witte's Web site, www.lifeplace.com, will also benefit Good Samaritan. On December 4, Christmas Tea author Tom Hegg, along with Warren Hanson, who wrote and illustrated Older Love, did a live reading from their books, broadcast via satellite to all 240 Good Samaritan facilities. The Society has also purchased 5000 copies of A Cup of Christmas Tea to sell at its facilities. "This is a win-win situation for everyone involved," said Adam Lindquist, a client service representative for Good Samaritan. "We really hope this idea will take off on a national level. We want Remember Me Day to get to the level of 'Toys for Tots,' except this is for senior awareness." Lindquist estimated that the audience for the half-hour reading was 50,000 people. Lindquist added that Good Samaritan d s not want to compete with local booksellers. "We bought a limited supply of titles. Really, we purchased far too little for what we need. Our employees are buying up all the books!" And due in part to the sales of these books to Good Samaritan and LifePlace, publisher Ned Waldman finds himself in uncharted territory this season. For the first time ever, Waldman House Press is completely sold out of Christmas Tea books.

Bookselling

Christmas Tea Nourishes Elderly
Sam Weller -- 12/13/99

Three Upper Midwest organizations are hoping to dispel the myth that Christmas is just for kids. LifePlace, a Twin Cities retailer of products for the elderly; publisher Waldman House Press, in Minneapolis; and the Good Samaritan Society, the largest long-term senior care organization in the country, headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., are hoping that people will think about their elderly loved ones this holiday season. Forming what LifePlace owner Michelle Witte calls a "strategic partnership," the three companies designated December 4 as "Remember Me Day" -- an event she hopes will become an annual celebration to honor the memories and traditions of seniors during the holiday season. The linchpin of the event this year is the holiday title A Cup of Christmas Tea, originally published by Waldman House in 1982. To date, the book has sold 1.3 million copies.

Witte's two retail stores, one in the Mall of America, another in St. Paul's Rosedale shopping center, will donate 10% of all sales of the book, as well as its sequel, A Memory of Christmas Tea, and the Waldman senior-focused title Older Love to the Good Samaritan Society. Sales of the books through Witte's Web site, www.lifeplace.com, will also benefit Good Samaritan.

On December 4, Christmas Tea author Tom Hegg, along with Warren Hanson, who wrote and illustrated Older Love, did a live reading from their books, broadcast via satellite to all 240 Good Samaritan facilities. The Society has also purchased 5000 copies of A Cup of Christmas Tea to sell at its facilities.

"This is a win-win situation for everyone involved," said Adam Lindquist, a client service representative for Good Samaritan. "We really hope this idea will take off on a national level. We want Remember Me Day to get to the level of 'Toys for Tots,' except this is for senior awareness." Lindquist estimated that the audience for the half-hour reading was 50,000 people. Lindquist added that Good Samaritan d s not want to compete with local booksellers. "We bought a limited supply of titles. Really, we purchased far too little for what we need. Our employees are buying up all the books!"

And due in part to the sales of these books to Good Samaritan and LifePlace, publisher Ned Waldman finds himself in uncharted territory this season. For the first time ever, Waldman House Press is completely sold out of Christmas Tea books.

A version of this article appeared in the 12/13/1999 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: