Historic Sites and Lights
The month of December brought short days, long nights, and lots of lights. The shortness of the days in the Northern Hemisphere amid holiday celebrations combines to encourage us to light up the night. Did your celebrations play out in historic downtowns, churches, at historic sites or in a home of a certain age? If you savored the beauty of an historic setting with holiday lights, chances are it brought you joy.
This year, my own personal holiday lights-in-historic settings- festival began with a visit to Blithewold www.blithewold.org in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Blithewold is one of the finest examples of American country estates. The property invites visitors to explore the eclectic architecture of the mansion, gardens and arboretum. My niece’s birthday comes along in early December, and she wanted to explore a historic site with lights. The interior of the mansion was decorated with greens, an enormous tree and lots of lights. The mansion came to life, energized if you will, by the lights and the joyous faces of the guests as we wandered from room to room. Blithewold makes an intergenerational experience out of this holiday event; my great-niece was engaged in exploring the house and grounds with a scavenger hunt that had us all on the quest. A collection of bamboo trees bathed us in light; all was made better with hot cocoa and metal fire pits with benches for families to gather safely ‘round. The lights accentuated the beauty of the colonial revival interiors, the varied stand of trees, and the gardens during their winter slumber. The historic home and property brought light, laughter, and family fun into a long dark December night.
My next adventure with lights was participating in Light up Windsor (Vermont). Historic Windsor has an architectural model dedicated to Asher Benjamin. It has been years since we placed it in a public venue. A historic storefront is without a tenant, and the local Windsor Improvement Corporation was invited to use the windows. The Tuxbury Block is a late 19th century Romanesque style building with large windows, a transom, and cast-iron pilasters. It is an unaltered gem whose owner had the building repointed recently with meticulous attention to detail. A group of us worked for several hours to set up the display. Birch tree props, pre-hung with white-LED lights, brought life to the vignette. The model, designed to be used to teach children about Federal period architecture, can be opened in sections. It is furnished in period detail at a scale of one inch to the foot. We had fluffy “faux snow,” garlands and more lights, and lo’ and behold, a wintry scene for all to enjoy.
The next lights and historic buildings venture started with “75 percent off” battery powered candles at the local pharmacy! I have had a secret desire to put them in the windows of the 18th century property at 70 State Street that Historic Windsor owns. The house has no electricity, so options for lights are limited. Well one thing led to another—10 candles and 20 batteries later along with a wreath with a BIG red bow that our board president contributed, and the house looks fitting for a simple 18th century holiday.
Finally, I had enough “energy” to get the candles in the windows of my Gothic cottage. The soft glow of light at home during the long winter nights is the best light in which to enjoy an old house. May your 2024 be blessed with light in old buildings or new.
