< Previous30 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 COVER CONFIDENTIAL FROSTY THE SANDMAN? Artist makes the ‘impossible’ possible on island beaches story by SHANNON CALDWELL | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS A real snowman wouldn’t last long on a Texas beach. But sand sculptor Emerson Schreiner created a festive sandman for Coast Monthly to celebrate the holiday season by the sea. Schreiner has been a professional sand sculptor for 14 years and a sandcastle teacher for a decade. He has won medals at masters-level competitions both nationally and internationally. The welcome sculpture at the AIA & La Izquierda Galveston Sand- castle Festival often is created by Schreiner, and during the summer, he gives free sandcastle lessons thanks to the Park Board of Trustees, which oversees beach operates on the island. Schreiner also creates custom sand sculptures for companies, events and parties, proposals and more. A highly creative person, Schreiner has a fine arts degree and is a working artist, painting portraits and abstracts on commission. We caught up with Schreiner as he prepared to make Coast Month- ly’s cover sandman. Sand sculptor emerson Schreiner created a festive sandman for Coast Monthly to celebrate the holiday season. The carving took him about six hours to create. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 31 Did you grow up playing in the sand or snow? I’m originally from Michigan, so I grew up with snow. I remember great snowball fights and making elaborate snow forts with my friends. What brought you to Galveston? Good sand! Galveston has re- ally good sand for sculpting. It has a very fine texture but is also high in silt and clay, so it packs well and carves nicely. How did you become a professional sandcastle sculptor and teacher? My aunt Lucinda Wierenga is a professional sandcastle sculptor on South Padre Island. She is a legend in the global industry and was instrumental in creating the sandcastle scene on South Padre. They have a festival, a sandcastle village permanently displaying sculp- tures over the holidays and, of course, lessons. It was thanks to her that I knew it was a job. What does the job involve? When you are competing, you usu- ally have three to four days to create your piece. It can be challenging to work out what’s possible. My style is quite abstract and I usually start by thinking about what shapes I want to make. For the sandcastle lessons, it is about introducing or re-introducing people to the joy of building sandcastles. What sand sculpture designs are you most proud of? This year for the South Padre Sandcastle Village, I made a tree trunk with a face and tangled roots and vines. It was called the keeper of the grove and was inspired by the tree characters called Ents in the “Lord of the Rings” books. Are sandcastle-building lessons just for children? Not at all. For the free summer lessons, I can have 80 to 100 people over (Clockwise from top left) Emerson Schreiner adds seawater to sand as he fills a rectangular form for a sand sculpture. He packs the form with sand and water to create a firm block to carve; Schreiner uses a straw to blow sand off a sculpture; Schreiner carefully shapes a mitten as he carves Frosty the Snowman out of sand.32 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 In Independent Living you can be who you were meant to be.... It’s never too late to discover new hobbies, start an exercise program, and make new life-long friends. Choose The Meridian Independent Living and let us take care of the little things ~ so you can live big! Enjoy our fine dining, coffee bar, on-site library, fitness room and movie theater. Spend some quiet time in our chapel. Participate in scheduled activities. Take a walk on the beach. Your days can be filled with all of this and more! The Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care gives the residents the support they need while they maintain their dignity and independence. On our Post-Acute Skilled Unit we provide Skilled Nursing and Therapy after a hospital stay where Medicare and Insurance will often cover your stay. We also offer Long-Term Care. At The Meridian, we are not just community... we are Family. Call us today or Book a Tour here! We can’t wait to meet you! www.themeridian-galveston.com Call today 409.763.6437 2228 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston Island, TX 77550 The Meridian is a Senior Living Community Happy Holiday from All Of Us COVER CONFIDENTIAL the course of the day and they are all ages. Adults don’t have many options to play and I find they are often the most into it, still building long after the children have begun to lose interest. What is the biggest mistake people make when they build sandcastles? Underestimating how much water you need to make a solid sculpture that holds. It is a lot more water than people think. Also, hitting their sculptures. You don’t need to hit the sand to pack it down. Why do you think people are attracted to sand sculptures? There’s a nostalgia because it reminds them of being children, but I think it’s also because on a certain level sandcastles feel sort of impossible. For more about sandcastle building lessons visit www.galvestonsandcastles. com or check out Schreiner’s Instagram @emersonmakesthings for images of his award-winning sculptures and his paintings. A sand sculpture by emerson Schreiner features a tree trunk with a face and tangled roots and vines. COU r T e SY e M er SON SCH re IN er “Galveston has really good sand for sculpting. It has a very fine texture but is also high in silt and clay, so it packs well and carves nicely.” EMERSON SCHREINER34 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 FEATURE THEIR CUP OF TEA Hotels and hosts serve a British tradition with holiday flair story by LAURA PENNINO T he ritual of afternoon tea is noth- ing new. The British, after all, have enjoyed it for hundreds of years. Afternoon tea was popular- ized in England during the 1840s when Anna Marie Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford and one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting, became hungry in the late afternoon. Her household typically didn’t have dinner until about 8 p.m. “Describing a ‘sinking feeling’ at about 5 p.m., she became despondent at the void between lunch and dinner,” according to The British Museum. Russell requested some tea, bread and butter and cake be brought to her room in the late afternoon. “And with that one request of a lady’s grum- bling stomach, an afternoon ritual was born.” But lately, restaurants, hotels and on-trend hosts on the upper Texas coast are putting their owns twists on the tea experience. Island hotel Grand Galvez, built in 1911, began offering The Grand High Tea in March 2024. Every Saturday in December — and throughout the year — the “Queen of the Gulf” will host High Tea from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. “Grand Galvez is renowned for its timeless elegance and luxurious experiences, and guests enjoy savoring the epitome of a British High Tea tradition with a touch of sparkle,” said Darryl Hill, who was born in the United Kingdom and is Grand Galvez’s general manager. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 35 Sandi Hajtman pours water for tea at one of her Texas tea time gatherings at her home in Galveston. STUA r T VILLANU e VA36 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 FEATURE Holiday decorations at the hotel, 2024 Seawall Blvd., add more sparkle to the ele- gant High Tea experience, and each bite the culinary team prepares for patrons is a work of art. The hotel displays an extensive collec- tion of Christmas décor, which incorporates traditional holiday colors, especially red, gold and black. Grand Galvez High Tea fare includes classic cucumber, egg salad and smoked salmon sandwiches along with freshly baked scones with clotted cream and straw- berry preserves and four types of loose-leaf imported English teas. Reservations and “smart casual” attire are required. The George Manor, 1502 Market St. in Gal- veston, was built in 1851 and additions were completed in 1867. Graham George, also born in the United Kingdom, bought the property in 2018, and restored the main house and the surrounding buildings over three years. The George Manor staff began decorating for Christmas in early November, manager Valerie Green said. COU r T e SY G r AND GALV e Z (Above) Grand Galvez offers a Grand High Tea on Saturday afternoons. It features a presentation of savory sandwiches, scones and mini pastries. (Right) Chef Michael de Beyer serves a traditional afternoon tea at George Manor in Galveston featuring home- made scones and clotted cream, assorted petit fours, sandwiches and cakes. J e NNIF er re YNOLDS The hotel offers Traditional Afternoon Tea daily, year-round, from noon to 4 p.m. The menu, created by Chef Michael de Beyer, features homemade scones, imported clotted cream, cakes and confections, traditional cucumber and salmon sandwiches, quiche, English Breakfast tea, Earl Grey tea, green tea and assorted herbal teas. “We serve locals, Galveston visitors and our guests,” Green said. “Our table settings have a beautiful, delicate design with a matching porcelain bone China tea set.” The Grand 1894 Opera House, 2020 Post- office St. in downtown Galveston, has been offering performances of “The Nutcracker” ballet since 1989. The Grand hosted the first Nutcracker Afternoon Tea on Dec. 13, 2003, and this year, the popular tea will be held at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 13 in Edna’s Room. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches comple- ment traditional afternoon tea sandwiches to “Grand Galvez is renowned for its timeless elegance and luxurious experiences, and guests enjoy savoring the epitome of a British High Tea tradition with a touch of sparkle.” DARRYL HILL COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 37 accommodate junior palates. “The kids are just precious,” said Maureen Patton, executive director of The Grand. “Mothers, grandmothers, dads and grandfa- thers come with little girls in sparkly dresses and little boys in bow ties. Nutcracker balle- rina cast members always attend the tea and pose for hundreds — if not thousands — of photos with the kids.” Sandi McCain Hajtman, who owns a historic Galveston home and is a former antique dealer, has been dubbed “The Christ- mas Lady” by people who know her well. She has been diligently decorating since mid-October for the holiday season. Stand- out pieces include miniature and tabletop trees she meticulously adorned herself. “Yes, I am into Christmas,” Hajtman said. Hajtman recently hosted a casual after- noon tea and late lunch in her dining room. She chose red and white Royal Art Trans- ferware China plates and tea cups, vintage white milk glass plates for dessert and vintage green Fostoria goblets. She served peppermint tea, apple cinnamon tea, English breakfast tea, Christmas tea, afternoon tea sandwiches, Mexican wedding cookies, confections and even King Ranch chicken casserole and wine. PHOTOS: COU r T e SY TH e G r AND 1894 OP er A HOUS e (Right) Twinings Christmas Tea awaits friends at Sandi Hajtman’s historic Galveston home. (Below) The Nutcracker Afternoon Tea has become as much a tradition as the performance itself during the holidays. Guests can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea and have their pictures taken with the dancers of the ballet. STUA r T VILLANU e VASelections from these businesses make holiday giving a breeze J Bangle’s Silk Stocking Gallery Handcrafted sterling silver jewelry by Nancy Moon, seagull paining by Laura Greiner 1124 25th St., Galveston; 409.763.6161 Fullen Jewelry Spirit of Galveston 10th anniversary destination bracelet – available in 4mm and 6mm 2215 Postoffice St., Galveston 409.763.0555; www.fullenjewelry.com Texas Coastal Artists Hand-poured candles infused with essential oils, aged in golden beeswax and cradled in hand-painted glass. Art you can light – crafted on the coast 2217 Strand St., Suite 107-B, Galveston High Horse Boutique & Hat Bar Custom felt hat, prices start at $150 414 22nd St., Suite 101, Galveston 228.860.9785 SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT GREAT IDEAS Gift Fullen Jewelry High Horse Hat Bar J Bangle’s Silk Stocking Gallery Katrina Howarth Boutique Tarnished Treasures Texas Coastal Artists Katrina Howarth Boutique The most elegant gifts of the season exclusively designed by Katrina Howarth Boutique 2315 Mechanic St., Galveston 713.550.6431; www.katrinahowarth.com Tarnished Treasures Vintage decor, timeless antiques and charming resale finds 4014 Broadway, GalvestonNext >