An Abingdon, Virginia Christmas

 Welcome!

Christmas is in the air! Evidence is all around us, the sights and sounds of Christmas-Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, Christmas lights, images of Santa and his elves, familiar Christmas music wafting through the air. What a wonderful time of year!

And, Christmas is nowhere more evident than in the picturesque town of Abingdon which is nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Recently, Greg and I visited Abingdon which is not too far from where we live. We love this quaint town so much that we refer to it as our adopted town.

What's not to love about it? 

The lovely old house above, which is tastefully decorated, even has a colorful Christmas tree on its balcony.

"The best Christmas trees come very close to exceeding nature."-Andy Rooney

 In another old house, the Greenway-Trigg Building, is The Gallery @ Barr Photographics.

We thought it would be a great place to visit, and it was!

We met one of the owners, Dean Barr, who welcomed us and told us all about his interesting shop.

Many talented artists display their work there. There are paintings, photographs, and handcrafted items like soap and jewelry, as well as many others.

FYI

The Gallery @ Barr Photographics

R. Dean & Valerie J. Barr

www.barrphotographics.com

After all of this looking around, we decided it was time for a snack, so we thought we'd try out a new place in town, The Girl & the Raven.

This coffee bar/cafe is in yet another old house which has been recently remodeled. It has been open for only three weeks.

 The interior looked festive with its beautifully decorated mantel.

A delicious cookie and coffee, anyone?

FYI

www.girlandtheraven.com

Wow! The Martha (The Martha Washington Inn & Spa) is all dressed up for Christmas, like never before!

"May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve."-Unknown

On weekends through December 20, vendors in tents on the grounds of The Martha will be selling crafts and kettle corn. This is a great place to find some nice Christmas gifts. As usual, but especially this year, we're supporting small business and buying locally.

FYI: www.themartha.com

Another great idea is supporting the world famous Barter Theatre which is outdoors at the Moonlite Drive-in during this "pandemic." Just got to see "A Christmas Carol," one of my favorites!

"Believe in the magic of Christmas."-Unknown

FYI: www.bartertheatre.com

We'll return to Abingdon soon to stop, shop, and dine some more since it's just a hop, skip, and a jump away! Hope to see you there!

May you have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Positive thought: "May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace, the gladness of Christmas give you hope, and the warmth of Christmas grant you love."-Author Unknown

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, January 3, 2021, Becky

The Christmas Spirit

Do you have the Christmas spirit?

After last week, Greg and I can say that indeed we do have the spirit of Christmas!

In historic Franklin, Tennessee, we attended "Dickens of a Christmas" which is a festival where Christmas comes alive around the time of author Charles Dickens.

Costumed characters abounded on the streets of Franklin-

A little girl is talking to Scrooge, the Dickens character who finally gets the Christmas spirit in "A Christmas Carol."

Another character looked like a statue!

Some of the vendors even got into the act...

as did some of the visiting dogs-

There was Christmas music-

of different types-

There was plenty of yummy food to try...

and coffee to help keep warm on a cold day,

although some found other ways to stay warm-

After the festival, it was on to Nashville, to visit the Hermitage Hotel which is in a word-

elegant, especially at Christmas!

Across the street is the Tennessee Performing Arts Center which presented-

the Nashville Ballet's "Nashville's Nutcracker,"

in which we are proud to say that our little niece performed, and did a great job!

Afterwards, we visited with family at their house which was beautifully decorated for Christmas.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Have a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!

If you like the paranormal, check out my other blog, "Spirit Photographs."
www.spiritphotographs.blogspot.com

Also, I have a book which might make a nice Christmas gift for someone that enjoys the paranormal,, "Photographic Encounters of the Spirit Kind" which is available now, either in paperback or as a kindle download.
http://amzn.to/2usXWIO

Positive thought: Always remember the spirit of Christmas which is love.

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, January 7, 2018, Becky