Holiday Fun in Halifax County

It’s my last post of the year, and I’m bringing you highlights from one of my favorite holiday activities of the 2018 season. Early in December, my oldest daughter and I spent a Saturday touring historic homes in Halifax County.

The Christmas Homes Tour was sponsored by the Downtown Enfield Restoration and Preservation group (DERP for short). Historic homes dressed up in their holiday finery and open for me to gawk at–definitely my cup of Christmas cheer! Here’s my pretty daughter who paid for my ticket (part of my December birthday present).

darla at house

It took us most of a Saturday to ride from one side of Halifax County to the other to see the six featured homes, but a day spent riding along country roads is good medicine for just about anybody. Before hitting the blacktop, though, we ate a bagged lunch in the little town of Enfield, where I bumped into an old acquaintance dressed for the occasion in her colonial attire.

terry anderson

The clothes weren’t the only colonial touch. Most of the homes on the tour were built in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s, and were period appropriate in their holiday decorations. Which meant I saw a lot of greenery, the real stuff. I’m guessing the magnolia leaves, cedar clippings, and pine branches came out of yards or nearby woods.

I loved how this door was decorated with magnolia leaves and pine wreaths and garlands.

door in greenery

Having a husband who is a hunter, I’m not opposed to a taxidermied head in the house, especially when it can be adorned with a swag of greenery and hung over an antique mantle.

deer

This huge cedar was decked out with mainly white lights and just a few ornaments. I guess in Colonial times these lights would have been candles, lit only for a brief spell on Christmas Eve, but practicality (and safety) needed to prevail. The tiny white lights were lovely and all this magnificent cedar needed.

cedar

The last house my daughter and I visited held a surprise. Two sweet carolers, classmates of my grandson, sang carols acapella in front of the fireplace. The simplicity of the performance fit the understated, natural decorations of the house.

carolers