| |
| |
|
Holidays Information |
|
|
|
Decorating for a Victorian Christmas
Berry Manor Inn owner, Cheryl Michaelsen wouldn't admit it, but with all the research she's done on Victorian tradition for the inn many consider her an expert, especially when it comes to celebrating a Victorian Christmas. Her Victorian-style inn offers the ideal backdrop to showcase venerated Victorian traditions throughout the year. However during the holidays the pomp and hospitality of this bygone era is resplendent in what Down East Magazine has referred to as "The WOW House". Visit Berry Manor Inn during Historic Inns of Rockland, Maine's Holiday House Tour held each year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, where among other ideas, you'll learn first hand all about many Victorian traditions of yesteryear. The Holiday House Tour is part of Rockland's Festival of Lights, and Historic Inns of Rockland will feature workshops including Gingerbread House Making, Victorian Customs for Christmas, and Package Wrapping Workshops, along with refreshments and tours of lovely historic inns during this event, held from 1pm to 4pm on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. During the Victorian era, commonly considered from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's, strides were made in communication and industrialization making it possible for traditions from other countries to be popularized and even mass-produced in the United States. Embedded in the Victorian psyche was the need to keep up and surpass friends' and family expectations for socializing, decorating and succeeding in general. Thus, creating an environment where others could watch, socialize and share traditions of others was key. Understanding this, Berry Manor Inn has captured many of the Victorian traditions to share and celebrate with guests throughout the holiday season. Peppermint pigs - The pig was a symbol of good health, happiness and prosperity in Victorian times. Thus, even today as tradition dictates, after the holiday meal, the candy peppermint pigs are broken and shared by all in hopes of good fortune. First created in Saratoga Springs, NY, Berry Manor Inn purchases Peppermint Pigs for guests from SaratogaSweets.com, which claims to be the only place still making these Victorian confections, since 1880. Hanging a pickle on the tree - According to the Victorian myth an orphan wandered into a pub whereupon he was kidnapped and thrown into a pickle barrel. St. Nick came to his rescue, making the pickle a symbol of good luck. It was German tradition, popularized in Victorian times, to hang a pickle ornament on the Christmas tree for good luck. The child that was first to find the pickle was rewarded with an extra present. Look carefully, and you will find the pickle ornament on the tree at Berry Manor Inn. Christmas crackers - These whimsical toys were one custom that dawned during Victorian times. In the 1860's a London confectioner designed a tube shaped object and filled it with sweets and toys, then tied it at both ends and offered it for entertainment at the dinner table. Later, inspired by the flames of the hearth, a popping noise was added , lending to the name "crackers". In keeping with tradition, usually a hat and candy are still hidden within the crackers. You'll find a basket of Christmas crackers as gifts for guests at the Berry Manor Inn throughout the holidays. The Christmas Maze - In keeping with another Victorian tradition, Berry Manor Inn sets up a "maze" game in the Children's Room, replicating how many Victorian children found their Christmas treasures. Tradition holds that each child was assigned to a different color ribbon, and told to follow it through the maze of intertwined ribbons to their gift. The Christmas Maze is available for viewing at Berry Manor Inn during the Holiday House Tour. The Upside Down Christmas Tree - It was a common tradition in Victorian times to display a "table top" tree in the parlor. Often the trees were too big for the table so the top would be cut off and hung upside down in another part of the house. This afforded the opportunity to have another tree to display the many handmade treasures collected over the years. Look for the upside down tree in the entry to Berry Manor Inn. When asked about some ideas for holiday decorating with a Victorian flair, Cheryl Michaelsen has plenty of advice, ranging from mantles of the mansion to tree décor. Tips for Victorian Decorating: ? Cover the top of the mantle with boughs of greens. Cluster and arrange pineapple, oranges, apples, pomegranates and berries or grapes to create beautiful color. Use boxes or styrofoam (hidden by the greenery) to arrange the fruits at different heights. Embellish with pearly beads, tassels and ribbon. ? Set up a grouping of five to seven like-colored pillar candles on assorted blocks of wood at different heights on the mantle. Wrap greens around them and lay white lights throughout the greens. Concentrate the string of lights through and around the candles to create a glow of light. This is particularly attractive if you have a mirrored mantle or place an antique mirror on the mantle behind the candles. ? A beautiful simple mantle arrangement can be created by displaying gold-sprayed pine cones set on greens with white lights mixed throughout. For a monochromatic display, lay gold lamay ribbon across the top with assorted loops and dips, or add several gold cherubs set in amongst the green. For a burst of color add a grouping of red cardinals, peacock feathers or a spray of silk roses off to one side of the mantle. ? You can create a beautiful Victorian Christmas tree with garlands of pearls, silk roses, feathered birds, clip-on candles and a predominance of burgundy, pinks and cream reflected in the bulbs and repeated throughout the design. ? Don't pass up the front stairway as an opportunity to show off Victorian decor. This is often one of the first things guest see, and offers the perfect setting for your garland, thick burgundy ribbons, greenery and ornaments. BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS AVAILABLE. Berry Manor Inn is a premier inn on Maine's Midcoast. Voted the #1 inn in Maine in the Best of BedandBreakfast.com Awards and the only AAA-rated four-diamond historic inn on Maine's Midcoast, this is the perfect place for a romantic getaway. Visit http://www.Berrymanorinn.com for more infomation.
MORE RESOURCES:
Holidays - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
5 Things Your Christmas Table Should Not Be Without Christmas dinner probably the most elaborate and complex dinners you will have to prepare all year. Chances are there will be many friends and family members attending so you will want to make sure everything is just right. Tools and Tips for Keeping the Holidays Organized It's November 1st. You've walked into your favorite store to buy half-priced Halloween candy and what do you see? Christmas decorations! "Oh, no!" you think to yourself. Great Games for Your Halloween Party If you're having a Halloween party you need to play some games! Whether it's to fill the time before the food is ready or to keep the kids occupied before their parents collect them, here are some ghoulish games to play.1) Pin the Wart on the Witch's Nose: Draw or photocopy up a big picture of a witch; get lumps of green play-dough, blindfold each child and let them put a green wart on the witch's face. 7 Tips For Defusing Holiday Stress KNOW THYSELFThe first key to creating a peaceful holiday season is identifying those holiday traditions that you ENJOY and those that you don't. When you spend your precious time and energy on activities that you don't find rewarding, you are destined to become FRUSTRATED and cranky. Ten Ways To Make The Holidays Easier Next Year What does your holiday season usually look like -- a lot of rushing around at the last minute? The holidays really don't have to require so much effort -- if you plan ahead and spread the work out throughout the year. Here are ten tips for making your next holiday season a snap:PACK YOUR DECORATIONS THE RIGHT WAYI know you will be in a rush to get the house back in order after the holidays are over -- but don't just throw everything in a box. 9 Fantastic Formulas for a Stress Free Holiday! The holidays are officially here. And so the season for giving begins. The Origins of Mothers Day Most people mistakenly believe that Mother's Day is an invention of the greeting card manufacturers and flower shops - a cynical ploy to make the nation spend millions of dollars each year on greetings cards and flowers. However, the roots of the holiday are more elevated than this and go back much further, right back to the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. No More Ties! Homemade Fathers Day Gift Ideas If you are like me, you never know what to get dad for Father's Day. Well, today, you'll get a few ideas that will get you out of a bind any time. Valentines Day Rapport How to develop and heighten rapport on Valentines Day beyond your wildest dreams!With Valentines day on the doorstep for another year here is way of enhancing those romantic occasions. In thinking about something pertinent to Valentines, I thought I would write about a topic that fascinates me; developing rapport. Christmas Gift Ideas Christmas is such a special day. It is a day of giving and receiving love, joy and happiness. Valentine's Day Ideas for Singles Maybe your significant other is overseas in the military. Maybe you have suffered a recent divorce. Making Mother's Day Special How many times have you heard a friend say about someone who's no longer here, "I never got to tell her (or him) how much I really cared."We've all felt this way at some stage about someone in our lives. 10 Tips to a Stress Free Holiday "The stress-free way to enjoy the holidays is to plan, take one step at a time, and have a sense of humor." Beth TabakCan you feel the holiday jitters beginning? Suddenly there it is right around the corner. Dont Want Another Carpet Sweeper This Year For Christmas? Unique "Drop-A-Hint" Plan Sends Your Gift Wishes Via E-mailSure, they love you and each year they try their best to find you the perfect gift. But let's be honest, sometimes they need a little help. Ten Tips for a Real Holiday Season Holidays and the start of a new year inevitably make us think about how we can improve ourselves, and have the life we want in the future. We make resolutions - I must lose weight, I will save more money - and then lose our way. Rubber Stamping and Scrapbooking will Bring the Family Together During The Holidays No matter what celebration you and your family will rejoice in this holiday season, the common thread is family unity and the joy of sharing in the relationships with others.Remembering the past is always an important part when bringing the family together. I Just Love It! "I Just Love It!"You know the scenario. You're sitting at the family Christmas gathering and your ten-year-old opens one of Aunt Martha's itchy homemade sweaters. Gods Gift to You... Mom Have you ever thought what you would have done without your Mother? Then why is it Mom's are usually the low woman on the totem pole? God thought enough of us to give us an earthly Guardian Angel and so many times, more than we could truthfully count this is the person we lash out at the most with the excuse it's OK it's only Mom. Thinking of the old cliché "we always hurt the one we the love the most" truly believing that all is forgiven. Dear Santa: Christmas Sucks! Christmas time is finally here, and most people during this holiday are happier than a fat kid eating a Krispy Kreme donut. Christmas brings so many great things to the table; the caroling, the NO SCHOOL, the snowmen and hour long snowball fights that ends with bloody noses, the eggnog and drunken relatives, the presents, holiday parties, and the drinking hot coco next to a roaring fire while cuddling up with your loved one. Planning a Gift Closet Creating a gift closet is a wonderful way to plan ahead for gift giving occasions. It's also handy for those last-minute emergency events that spring up throughout the year, may otherwise catch you by surprise, and send you on a mad dash to the store.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
