Christmas at America's Landmark Houses

You know by now that I love Christmas and I love beautiful

homes.  I love making my home beautiful for family and

friends at Christmas.  

Two of my favorite things

at Christmas are decorating and listening to Christmas music, preferably at the same time.

It is always such a thrill to experience home tours at Christmas and to have the opportunity to enjoy everyone's decorating styles.

So of course, I was thrilled to be asked to review 
Schiffer Publishing's

Christmas at America's Landmark Houses,
 written by

Patricia Hart McMillan and David Strahan.

The book is a stunning collection of exquisite,
historic homes, decked out for Christmas.  It is a
feast for the eyes, but as you read the text, it is also
a feast for the spirit, as the joy of Christmas has
been celebrated in these beautiful homes for generations.

The book is written with the intent that you will 
first enjoy the photos, and stories of these 
landmark homes, and then that you will "add
these houses to your list of must-see destinations."

Of course, everyone thinks of visiting Colonial Williamsburg

during Christmas to see the period decorating where you can

see eighty-eight original homes in their splendor with several

hundred others that are replications.

I know Williamsburg is on my bucket list of 

places to visit at Christmas, where you can

also enjoy re-enactors who are dressed in period

costumes to add to the festivities.

But consider visiting the fabulous Cairnwood Estate

in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, the gorgeous home of

John and Gertrude Pitcairn.  Having been 

introduced to this gorgeous landmark home, I 

would now love the chance to go through it.

"On Christmas Day, the family would go to church in the

morning, and in the afternoon Cairnwood was opened to the

community to celebrate."

The book relates that the Cairnwood by Candlelight

 event, recreates the beauty and experience

 of Cairnwood during the lives of the Pitcairns,

and also includes an exhibit of antique gowns

 belonging to three generations

of Cairnwood women.  

Wouldn't that be magical to see?  

The home is filled with live music and 

Christmas goodies during this event.  

This would definitely be worth traveling to Pennsylvania

to be able to experience a bit of the Gilded Age.

"Ropes of greenery were woven together with special vines

and flowers grown in the estate green houses to furnish the decorations for holidays and special occasions.  Historic photographs show that roping was draped from the second-floor gallery and wound down the stairs, around windows, and over every mantel."

Or how about the Edsel Ford home 

in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan?

Edsel was Henry Ford's only child, and worked alongside his father in building the Ford Motor Company.  

This staircase pictures above is from the 1600's and brought

over from Northamptonshire.

You can read about how he married his childhood friend, 

Eleanor Lowthian Clay.  They met at a class dance in their teens.  

So not only do you get to see into the gorgeous homes

 these people built, but you get to see into their lives and families,

and a delicious taste of how they celebrated

Christmas.

This is just a little taste of the joys and wonders

this lovely coffee table book has to offer as

you enjoy seeing these beautiful homes and 

reading about their histories, their families,

and their Christmases.

I was especially enchanted with this book because

I had just created my own book for my family - 

Purple Chocolat Home

for The Holidays

- taking photos from my blog from all of

the holidays throughout the year.  It was created

as a fun memory for them.

(Created on lulu.com.)

Christmas at America's Landmark Houses
 would be a lovely gift for anyone who loves
historic homes, beautiful interiors, history, or
Christmas.

This is a gift that would be treasured for years to come.

You can find it on Amazon, and it can ship
in two days with Amazon Prime.  (Oh how I love
that during this busy season!  I am old enough
to remember ordering things for Christmas and
it would take 8-12 weeks and often wouldn't arrive
in time.)

Thank you Schiffer Publishing for giving me the
opportunity to peruse and enjoy this lovely book.