Rancho Santa Fe resident celebrates Nativity-themed boots

Rancho Santa Fe resident Patrice Reynolds already had eight pairs of uniquely decorated cowboy boots.

This year, she decided she wanted a handcrafted pair that would reflect the spirit of Christmas.

She fulfilled her quest by commissioning a Texas company specializing in custom-made boots to craft her a set featuring a Nativity scene.

To celebrate her success as well as the holiday season, Reynolds hosted about 20 of her best friends to her and her husband’s home Thursday, Dec. 9.

The event featured gourmet cuisine prepared by chef Isabelle Baril and holiday-themed music performed by harpist Marina McClane.

In describing the event, Reynolds clearly got a kick out of some playful punnery.

“It’s a Christmas brunch to ‘deboot’ my Christmas boots,” she said in an interview at the event. “Instead of ‘debut,’ I’m using the word ‘deboot’ because they’re ‘bootiful’ and I knew my friends would appreciate them.”

One of a pair of boots that Patrice Reynolds had custom-made to depict a nativity scene is on display at her home in Rancho Santa Fe.

(Michael J. Williams)

Reynolds said a prayer to her guests expressing the spiritual aspect of the celebration, a message Amy Stoehr of Vista took to heart.

“These boots really display the message of Christmas in such a lovely way,” she said. “That is a message that needs to be displayed in this time. ... It’s a time when many are bitter, helpless and overwhelmed, but those boots really signify the hope that we have that there really is a savior that came into the world. ...

“The boots are one thing, but the message they convey is really why all of us are friends and why we’re gathering. It’s about God’s love for the world.”

Guest Cindy Carr of Cardiff said the celebration was a reflection of Reynolds’ caring and compassion. They met about three years ago playing pickleball, she said: “There’s a ferocious pickleball community here.”

“If you want a prayer said for yourself or someone else, you turn to Patrice,” Carr said. “She can tap into you in your hour of need. ... She is a woman who truly walks her talk. For her to create those boots says everything about her. She wants us to know why we’re here on this planet.”

Reynolds said when she came up with the idea, she searched fruitlessly for the appropriate pair of boots reflecting her vision. Then, a friend told her about the El Paso firm Rocketbuster Handmade Custom Boots.

Marina McClane performs holiday classics on harp at a recent party hosted by Patrice Reynolds at her Rancho Santa Fe home.

(Michael J. Williams)

She contacted company representatives and sent them an image she liked that she had seen depicted in stained glass. She supplied a bible verse she wanted inscribed along with the scene. She also sent them a special measurement of her foot requested by the company.

“It took about six months and here they are,” Reynolds said. “They’re hand-crafted, they’re hand-sewn, they’re hand-stained. They’re going to last a lifetime and they’re more beautiful than I dreamed they would be.

“The scene is of the birth of Christ, with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and the wise men and the shepherds, and it looks like a village in Bethlehem.”

Reynolds declined to disclose the cost, but admitted they were pricey.

“They were very expensive, but I consider them like fine art work,” she said. “They’re works of art. ... I feel it was worth the investment and the time, and I feel so happy I got them. They’re a treasure.

“And seeing my friends’ reaction to them is really a blessing because everybody loves them.”

As with all her boots, Reynolds said she will wear her newest pair and plans to don them on special occasions through the holidays.

In other words, to recast an old Nancy Sinatra song: “These boots are made for wassailing.”