"My fiance and I decided to start a new tradition together this year and planned a Christmas get away. Neither of us had ever been to the Mt. Shasta area and we wanted a white Christmas. After looking a a bunch of reviews and inns online, we decided on the McCloud Mercantile Hotel. It had everything we could have asked for - beautifully appointed room with period decor, fireplace, romantic slipper tub, gorgeous bathroom with a decadent double headed shower and they even welcomed our dog to join us. That wasn't the end of it though. The real charm of this place is the Mathis family, the proprietors. Each morning at breakfast in their attached diner, Lonnie Mathis, the patriarch of the family, worked the room with his easy going charm and warm smiles. He really made us feel welcome and brought a smile to the faces of all around. His charm is apparently hereditary, because it passed to his son Kevin who runs the inn. Kevin was really sweet and accommodating. He went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed, including hand dipped strawberries and sparkling cider in our room upon our late check-in. The final little piece of heaven came in the form of an impromptu Christmas feast the family put together for all of their guests, a few locals and extended family. I had to shake my head at one point during dinner because the whole thing seemed like a scene out of a very nostalgic Hallmark movie. Needless to say, Dave and I are already planning our trip back there next Christmas and even reserved the same room already. This time we're planning on bringing some of our family with us and pitching in to the Mathis family's new tradition of Christmas dinner with their guests. It was a perfect stay! "