From the yard .. and near by

Just a few photos of some visitors to the bird feeder, and from around the house .. and around the county .. for a beautiful Easter weekend.  Enjoy!

Misty morning ..

What does the day hold?

 

Mourning Dove, Red-winged Blackbird

Robin Redbreast

Rufous-sided Towhee

Look at his bright red eye!

Rufous & Friends

Just look at that gorgeous Dandelion back there...

Gimme more sun...

Look at me now!

Redbud - one of the first colors of spring. Each bloom looks like a Ladyslipper. (Check out the pink snow in the background.)

Redbud beginning to leaf

 

Beautiful Lady!

Mystery Bush - first come these golden-tipped pods (a bit soggy from the rain), blown away in the wind leaving the tree with white tips, and finally a very short-lived flower.

Muscari, or Grape Hyacinth (a member of the lily family)

Lenten Rose

She's a shy bloomer, but here is her face.

The spring condo has been completed.

Who can resist these smiling faces?

Love the dark sky when a storm has passed and the green-ing trees and rosebuds are a brilliant contrast .. and then the sun fades at the same moment you press the button ..

The mountain floats above the morning clouds.

What has spring looked like in your part of the world?

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S.  Santa will be at the store again every weekend starting tomorrow, April 7th - from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday.  On Easter Sunday, the Easter Bunny will be hopping by between 11 am and 5 pm (the store is open 11 to 6 this Sunday).

Infestation!

It’s starts so innocently .. you see a cute & colorful garden flag, with maybe a picture of Easter eggs, or a chick, or an Easter bunny, and you think, “I need that for my porch!”

So you buy one or two and you hang them up and you enjoy the bright colors as they move gently with the breeze.  Life is good.  The sun is shining.  Forsythia is blooming by the front door.

Then suddenly one morning, you open the front door, and .. they’re everywhere! 

Bunnies to the left, bunnies to the right, bunnies behind and bunnies in front of you!  Big bunnies.  Small bunnies.  And they coordinate so well with your pansies.

What are you going to do?  There are too many to count – and they are too cute to shoo away!  And the next thing you know .. they’ve crossed the street to the neighbor’s place.

But, you know, that whole TOO CUTE thing.  So there they stay.  We can’t say when or where the infestation will end .. but why would we want it to??

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S.  I know you are loving our new breakfast and all, but pleasepleaseplease DO NOT feed the bunnies on your way out.  Please.

Do you drive electric? Then you should stay with us!

Several months ago, we installed something pretty cool here at the hotel – two charging stations for electric vehicles!

We’re always looking for opportunities to be a “greener” property.  If you see something green that you think might work for our guests, please drop me a line about it.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Tuxedo Strawberry!

Here are our chocolate-dipped strawberries – and check out the one in front – dressed in a tuxedo for this special day!

 

Call the Candy Kitchen at 865-453-0415, extension 146, to reserve your selection.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Valentine’s Yummies!

Mrs. Claus’ Candy Kitchen has the freshest Valentine’s sweets in Pigeon Forge!  Feast your eyes on our selection of goodies:  Chocolate & candy dipped apples with heart sprinkles, chocolate covered pretzels, cherries dipped in white, dark, or milk chocolate, a chocolate-and-candy covered cherry bonbon, and a variety of Ritz Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Oreo cookies covered in chocolate and heart sprinkles!

Even now, they are dipping fresh, sweet strawberries in chocolate.  You know you have time to stop on your way home today…

Happy Valentines Day Eve!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

On the 200th Birthday of Charles Dickens

Charles Huffam Dickens was born on February 7th, 1812.  Many of you have had the opportunity to meet Gerald Charles Dickens, his great-great-grandson, at The Inn at Christmas Place.  In the past two years, he has performed his one-man enactment of one of Charles’ most famous tales, “A Christmas Carol,”  at our hotel each November.  We’re really hoping he’ll fit us into his performance schedule again in this momentous year!

Gerald Charles Dickens, great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens

Gerald has been honored with two very special invitations to kick off the celebrations.  This Tuesday, he’ll participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Charles Dickens’ burial site in Westminster Abbey, followed by a grand banquet at Mansion House, home of the Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Then, on February 14th, he’s been invited to a reception in honor of his great-great-grandfather at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh – a singular honor.

We join fans everywhere in congratulating Gerald on these honors, and wishing him a grand year of celebrating his family member’s history and legacy!

Stay tuned for information about a 2012 appearance with us at The Inn.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Valentine Beauty

About 2 weeks ago, our floral designer Dori showed me this beautiful custom wreath she created for a guest for Valentines.  Isn’t it gorgeous?  White willow wreath decorated with velvet magnolias and heart ornaments, ribbon, and greenery.  What an elegant decoration for a home or business. 

If you’d like to give it a go yourself, we have the ornaments, flowers, wreath, & ribbons on our site:

All you need to add is the hot glue, hard work, and creativity!  Or, you could call Dori.  I think I’d call Dori.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S. Would you like to share a gourmet goody basket with your sweetie for Valentines?  The Inn at Christmas Place will have 2 baskets available for cash & carry after February 7th.  Here’s a picture of the larger basket:

The baskets will be filled with a variety of chocolates and treats, such as red raspberry hearts, chocolate covered pretzels, cheese straws, shortbread, heart-shaped truffles, and more, packaged in a red basket and tied up with beautiful Valentines bows.  Small – $40.00; large (pictured) – $60.00.  Just stop at the front desk of the hotel to pick up your basket – and remember to add a card .. and remember to sign the card ..

(We use nut-free products in our baskets.)

More S(pring) Stuff

Spring also means new fabrics and styles from Vera Bradley, your favorite bag collection.  They always come up with the niftiest ideas – check out their new laptop bag for frequent flyers – this is in Ellie Blue, a nod to their classic elephant pattern of past years.

Here’s another example of this pattern, in a simple tote bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie Posies shades of red, in Eloise and a couple of accessory pieces.

My personal favorite and a very classy pattern, Camellia, in the new Abby bag.

And a bright and colorful choice appropriately called “Island Blooms,” in the newest Bowler bag.

We have a great selection of all the current fabrics and bag styles, so come visit The Boutique and check them out!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

The S(pring) Word!

It’s on the way!  I know you may be thinking winter has just begun, but keep hope in your heart!  We’ve just added two spring displays in the store, and it has perked us up quite a bit.  Enjoy this early breeze…..

It’s the invasion of the bunnies!  Department 56 released an adorable collection of bunnies this year, similar to those cute Snowpinions snowmen.  We have Dottie bunnies in small, medium, & large, each sporting a pink-and-brown polka dot grosgrain collar or skirt.  Notice that Dottie has either blue or brown eyes – we have some of both.  Large Dottie is the perfect size to be the centerpiece for your holiday decorations.

There’s also a darling little Dottie bunny basket, perfect for filling with petite chocolate eggs & Easter treats!

In the middle of the picture above you can see the small Dotties wrapped up in plastic like the delicious little goodies they are!

Of course, there’s also a collection of limited-edition Snowbunnies collectibles for the season, like this pink-cheeked charmer, “Sheepish.”

Who could say “no” to that face??  Check out the Double Bunny Hop, too – love those rainbow colors.

Did you also notice the colorful silk flowers, Easter baskets, and decorations we have available for a limited time?  These are in-store purchase only right now, but you can place an order with our customer service team at 1-800-445-3396, extension 2.

These peonies went home with me shortly after this picture was taken!

Also, take a look at these hanging flower vases in the tree – two sizes, and they could hang just about anywhere, thanks to their long attaching loops.  We’ve filled them with silks, of course, but the sturdy glass sleeve inside holds water for live blooms.  I found the small vase in our on-line store, so click on the photo – it’s on sale for only $2.97.

So join us in thinking SPRING already!  The sun has come out after a few rainy days, and we’re planning a fabulous weekend, whatever the temperature may be.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S. Up next – spring colors from Vera Bradley, too!

Happy 101st!

We get to celebrate some pretty special times at The Inn with our guests – and last weekend it was the 101st birthday of Ms. Bill from North Carolina.  She was here last year for her hundredth, and we expect she’ll be back next year, too.

We didn’t get a picture of her, but here’s a celebratory candle in her honor.

Happy Birthday, Ms. Bill!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place