The Ghost(s) of Christmas Past

Do you believe in ghosts? I know if you asked my family what I thought about ghosts, they'd say that I certainly believed in them because every time we pass a place that looks like it is over ten years old I loudly proclaim that it's most definitely "haunted"! I love touring old antebellum homes because I feel they are filled with history and of course...a bit of mystery where the people who once lived in them are concerned. However, when you usually tour antebellum homes it tends to be in the middle of the day and you don't get to go very far into the more secluded parts of the house.

The book club at Long Branch has changed all that. Our most recent visit for December's book club meeting may have even changed my Mom's opinion on whether or not places are haunted. Ironically enough, out of the four of us at Book Club on that foggy December night...I'm the only one who never heard a thing.

Decorated for a celebration of Christmas Past....

We arrived at Book Club on that foggy Tuesday night and soon discovered that it would just be me, my Mom and the two girls that run the Book Club - Lizzie and Cassie. They also work at Long Branch and are both founts of information where the house and it's history are concerned. The four of us settled in to discuss the book for December - A Christmas Carol. When we got to the portion where we were discussing the different spirits that visited Ebenezer Scrooge, I looked at Lizzie and Cassie and told them to level with me; I knew places like Long Branch didn't always like to make it known that they are haunted but truly, had they ever had anything weird happen. The girls said that an employee who had recently left had some "encounters" - one in specific where he'd heard footsteps walk right up to his desk, stop and then walk away - even though there was no one there. They both assured us that they'd never had anything weird happen and we got back to discussing fictional ghosts....and that's when things started to get weird.

Nothing spooky about this...right?

We were seated around a table in the dining room and my Mom was sitting across the table from me. As we talked about the book, she suddenly made a startled face (seriously - startled does not even begin to describe it...complete shock and disbelief is probably more like it) and said "what was that???" I jerked around to look and see what she meant but I didn't see anything. She said she'd sworn she heard a man's voice talking...which seemed impossible since the only people in the house were us four women. I thought she was being goofy and told her to behave; she laughed and said maybe she was just imagining things. We went back to our discussion but only a few minutes later, Lizzie; who was seated next to me, looked around and said "okay...now I heard something" and my Mom said "I knew it - I kept hearing things but I didn't want to say anything...but then I saw your face!" Apparently they were alternately hearing what sounded like footsteps and a male voice. Cassie and I still hadn't heard anything, but that was about to change.

An old WWII uniform - maybe it brought some spirits with it?

We tried to hunker down and keep talking about our book but then Cassie's eyes got wide and she announced that she had heard it too - and didn't I hear any of this? You guys, I never heard a thing! I was a little disappointed but watching the three of them flip out was pretty creepy in itself. Once Cassie announced that she had heard it, Lizzie decided to investigate. She thought that maybe the maintenance guy had come into the basement and just not told anyone and so she disappeared around the corner to check it out (which - she is far braver than I, I would never had headed into the basement alone).  When she came back, her face was white as a sheet and she looked...well...like she'd seen a ghost. She said there was no one in the basement but she'd heard the man's voice again...and it always sounded like it was moving away from her, always just a little ways ahead of her. Once she sat down again, they all three kept looking around and saying they heard footsteps and didn't I hear anything?? I didn't.

A photo op all the way from the top of the house...

Lizzie and I walked into the foyer because she knew I'd be able to hear the footsteps - they seemed to be coming from that area. I still couldn't hear anything but apparently they all could. The girls seemed unsure about having to close up the house and cut off all the lights alone, so we decided we'd stay with them while they did it. Cassie then announced with a sign that someone would have to go all the way to the attic to turn off the Christmas lights - it had seemed like a good idea to run the lights into the attic earlier in the day, but now in the dark of night with things going bump - well, it wasn't such a great thought. I decided to tag along up to the attic because people don't normally get to go to the third floor of the house...and I still hadn't heard anything. I trooped along behind Lizzie up the spiral staircase to the third floor and as she crept toward the open door of the attic, she said "when I flip this switch, it's going to get crazy dark in here". I positioned myself at the top of the stairs, ready to run for it and she flipped the switch and ran toward the top of the stairs. As we clattered down, my Mom hollered "don't y'all trip and fall down those stairs" and Lizzie hollered back "if we fall, we'll get down faster!"

Lanterns in the alcoves on the spiral staircase.

We survived the race from the attic and it was time to head out. Of course, to compliment the eerie night the fog had rolled in as thick as pea soup and added another element of spine tingle to the evening. We said our farewells and headed to our car. All the way home my Mom and I discussed what had happened - and we couldn't really believe it. When we returned on Sunday night for the Christmas Reception, Cassie told us that the maintenance man hadn't been anywhere on the property on our freaky Tuesday night...so they still had no idea whose voice we had heard. Suffice it to say, I'll be intrigued to see if anything interesting happens at our next book club meeting. Are those ghosts always there or were they just inspired by our discussion of the ghost of Christmas past?

Weekly Recap - Christmas Edition!

Another Christmas has come and gone - I for one cannot even believe it. I swear, time just passes faster and faster! The week of Christmas seems like it passed in an absolute whirlwind; most likely because I spent a huge chunk of the week working retail...and folks, I don't plan to do that ever again. Yikes! Anyway, a look back at the past blur of a week!

Monday night run to Georgetown...in the misty, blurry, chilly air.

I worked from 7:30 to 4 on Monday (and Tuesday) and as soon as I came home on Monday, I changed and we all piled into the car to drive into Georgetown to make a visit to Jack Will's. We had planned to visit the DC Holiday Market as well, but the weather all day was rainy and crummy...and no one really wants to wander an open air market in the rain. I mean - no one in my family does. I was sad we missed the Holiday Market but glad we got home by 10 because I had to be back at work at 7:30 the next day...and in the midst of last week, I developed some serious back issues. I don't know if something got pulled in my car wreck and is just now showing itself or if the extended hours standing on my feet/running all over the place in flimsy shoes on floors that are basically concrete caused it....regardless, I was struggling.

Cue the Icy Hot - the days I worked before Christmas, I smelled less festive and more like a walking nursing home. But hey, it sure helped my back not to hurt so much. Cheers to that!

Weapons in the war against back pain....I LOVE the smell of Icy Hot.

Watson absolutely loves Lindsey - she is the first person he goes to in the morning.

Red Velvet Cheesecake - a delicious leftover from our Monday night venture into Georgetown.

Lindsey & Watson trying to wake up on Christmas Eve morning....

Christmas Eve felt like such a whirlwind. I had to work from 12 till the mall closed at 6. I stupidly thought that there wouldn't be that many people out shopping on Christmas Eve but I was quickly proved wrong. I had plans to be at my church's Candlelight Service; which started at 7. The mall closed at 6 and I figured I'd have plenty of time...but I was silly to think that, since all the merchandise and sale signs had to be put out before we all went home on Christmas Eve. Suffice it to say that I didn't make it to the church service (I'm sure Lindsey sang beautifully...I'll never know) but because the Assistant Manager is a wonderful person, at 7:15 she said we weren't staying any longer on Christmas Eve and so I finally rolled up at home shortly before 8.

A side note that I would like to make - everyone should have to work retail at Christmas just once in their life. People can be unusually cruel about the strangest things and on the flip side you have people who can be incredibly kind...although unfortunately the former seems to outweigh the latter. We did have customers who came into the store when out gate was halfway down - signifying we had closed - and then proceeded to spend almost twenty minutes slowly shopping, which means we were open almost thirty minutes passed closing time on Christmas Eve....a time when (in my humble opinion) people shouldn't be shopping anyway, they should be with their families. One woman even expressed complete distaste that the mall would not be open on Christmas Day - because I suppose people who work retail are meant to not live their own lives but be at the beck and call of other people's shopping whims. Either way - I survived retail at Christmas and lived to tell the tale.

Spoon Square on Christmas Eve - all is calm, all is bright.

The face of someone who somehow managed to survive Christmas retail. PTL.

Our annual Christmas Eve feast....always followed by the tradition of...

Watching White Christmas - it never fully feels like Christmas Eve until this is playing on the TV.

Santa Paws left quite the load of goodies for Mr. Watson. 

Our Christmas Day celebrations were spread out through the day on the 25th. My Dad had to work on Christmas morning and so we let Watson sniff and explore his things when we got up and Lindsey and I inspected our stockings. We watched "Elf" while having breakfast and then my Mom cooked up a delicious Christmas meal. When my Dad came in at 2, we had a late (and absolutely delicious) Christmas dinner together! Lindsey and I took Watson on a Christmas walk so "Santa" could come and then we looked over our gifts from Santa and exchanged presents. The night was ended watching some Christmas classics - A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was a lovely Christmas all around and a wonderful day indeed.

Lindsey helps Watson inspect his new things....

Watson waiting for Santa in his Christmas pajamas....

Santa was very nice indeed - awesome new Dooney & Bourke purses; easily the nicest purse I've ever owned. I love it.

Side note - I've been wanting a new purse since I moved to Virginia but I've been holding out until I really found something I loved. I was beyond thrilled when I saw my amazing blue Dooney and Bourke purse on Christmas - it is absolutely lovely and I am in love with it. I must confess, I might love it a little too much because when we went to Target last night and it was misting rain, I wrapped my purse in my rain coat....not myself...

Coats! I absolutely love my Eggplant Poof! I'll be plenty toasty from now on!

Presents, presents for everyone!

Mom & Dad with their new frame - courtesy of Lindsey & I.

One of the gifts I gave Lindsey - I knew she'd love it & I was so excited for her to finally open it!

All my Christmas goodies, laid out on the bed to look over. I'm a lucky girl indeed.

Lindsey gave me Ugg slippers....& let me just tell you, I'm in love!

My Aunt, Uncle and cousins Jodi and Colton came to visit for the weekend - they arrived on Friday night and stayed with us through Sunday afternoon. We took them on a whirlwind tour of DC on Saturday...which I'll dedicate another post to. It was nice to get to see some of our family so close to Christmas and we all had a good time catching up and roaming all over DC on Saturday. They headed into West Virginia to ski on Sunday afternoon and we Summerlins spent the evening relaxing: reading books, doing a puzzle (well, not this Summerlin - puzzles drive me nuts) and just generally being bums. It was the perfect way to end the week.

Saturday morning sunrise...I love all the color.

Christmas lights on a Sunday night drive through Front Royal.

Merry Christmas to all....& to all a good night!

Christmas Fun: Part Three

Well - as promised, here we are - part three of the Christmas Fun posts. This one has even more fun because it has the added bonus of having Lindsey added into the mix. I absolutely love my little sister and I might have been more excited about her coming home for two weeks than about the whole other Christmas business itself, ha-ha! What can I say - my little sister is my best friend and I am so glad that I got to experience these Christmas activities with her! And of course, my sweet parents, ha-ha!

I worked bright and early on Saturday morning but that left the whole afternoon and evening open to do things. As soon as I got home from work, I changed and we went about fifteen minutes up the road to Sky Meadows State Park to tour the Mt. Bleak-Skye Farm there that had each room set up as Christmas through the years. There weren't too many people around, so we had our own personal tour and got to learn about the house and the people that lived there, as well as seeing some typical Christmas decorations for all different time periods.

The Mt. Bleak-Skye Farm - all decorated for Christmas!

The table set for Christmas dinner in the dining room.

The parlor - check out all those presents!

Just a quick peek at the poinsettias in the parlor!

There was mistletoe - and who can resist a quick peck?

Up the stairs we go....

Talk about a room with a view - so lovely to look at these mountains each day!

Out in the backyard - again, I love this view.

A tree from the late 1800's - living on the edge with those candles on the tree....

A hiding spot in the attic for Mosby's Rangers...this is some Civil War era business right here...

The view from the backyard...again...because it's pretty.

Trying to take a picture of the house & of course this nut just jumps into the frame...

The other little Christmas adventure we went on was this past Sunday night and we went to Long Branch's annual Christmas reception - it has a theme each year and this year was no exception; the theme was Christmas on the Homefront, a 1940's Christmas. Lindsey and I had big plans to fix our hair in the traditional style of the 1940's - victory rolls. I got an extra thirty minutes of work added onto my schedule, so I ended up just meeting the family at Long Branch...sadly, that meant I had no victory rolls, but Lindsey's hair looked awesome!

Dad & Lindsey in their 1940's best!

Posing with one of the decorated mantles in the house - so gorgeous!

A wee tree with bubble lights in the horse room.

Some decorations & delicious food in the dining room!

The mantle in the parlor - this might have been my favorite of all the mantles.

Our book club meets once a month at Long Branch and so we'd seen the start of the decorations earlier in the week but the finished product was so amazing; the place looked gorgeous. There were even two WWII era jeeps parked on the front lawn and delightful big band Christmas music swelling through the house. The two girls that run the book club (and also pretty much run Long Branch) were both dressed perfectly to the era and I wish I'd thought to get a picture with the two of them - Lizzie and Cassie looked awesome and were perfects hosts. I'm so glad when they mentioned the reception almost two months ago I told Mom I wanted to go - it was such a neat experience and the night ended in the coolest (both literally and figuratively) way possible - we got a ride around the property in a restored WWII jeep! Lindsey even provided some war sound effects to make the ride more authentic!

Having a little Chardonnay in the awesome Long Branch stemware!

Christmas in the 1940's!

A look at the foyer - the entrance to the house looked amazing.

Lindsey looked amazing too - like she'd stepped right out of the pages of a history book!

Looking up...up....up into the center of the house.

The mantle in the upstairs bedroom - I love all the greenery!

Of course, the mantle in the Horse Room. I love it!

Peeking in the front windows, all decorated up. 

We salute you!

The entrance to the house - it looked amazing!

The jeep we got to take a ride in - it was so cool!

Good-bye Long Branch - thanks for the awesome evening!

So - there you have it! Some of the best things we did over the days counting down to Christmas. I hope you've had a wonderful time counting down to Christmas and I hope you have the merriest of them all!