Decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby of the Inn on the Biltmore Estate
was on the list of daily activities for Friday after Thanksgiving at 9:00 am.
The live tree was brought in and set-up during the night or in the wee hours of Friday.
The "naked" tree was there when we went down to the dining room for a bountiful buffet breakfast.
A group of ladies began the decorating process at 9:00 as scheduled.
We watched the process off and on throughout the day before and
after our 1:15 pm afternoon tea. By the way, tea is being served in
the dining room downstairs to accommodate more guests than the previous
location of the library on the lobby level.
The ladies completed decorating after 3:00 p.m.
I didn't count, but there were six to eight ladies at one time.
I talked to a couple of them and asked what they normally do at the Inn.
I learned they are the team who put together all the decorations
for weddings, conferences, holidays and special events indoors and outdoors
for the Inn and the Hotel.
As you can imagine, the large variety of toys under the tree received
a lot of attention from the children coming in and out of the lobby
with their parents and grandparents.
An added bonus for those parents and grandparents is
toys under the tree all have price tags and are for sale.
We departed on Saturday, and missed the annual gingerbread "house"
which was scheduled to be set-up on Monday.
In years past, we've seen different structures including replicas
of the Inn, but I was told this year it is a beautiful replica of the Biltmore Cottage.
We loved our family visit and three-night stay at the
Biltmore Estate, including visits to the spa,
but the family missed my homecooked
Thanksgiving turkey meal with all the traditional southern sides.
I guess it's good to know they appreciate me for something. :-)
