... holiday cheer ...

the von trapp family lodge is quite a spectacular undertaking, especially during the christmas holiday season. they're located at the top of a mountain, on an enormous spread of land (~2400 acres), with pretty spectacular views (regardless of the season), and a commitment to customer service that makes me pretty sure there is right in the world today.

i had the opportunity to grab the camera and check out what i soon discovered was a treasure trove of christmas trees. ten of them in total - though i discovered as we were checking-out that there was one i missed. i opted not to drop my load of luggage right then and there in lieu of the camera - i didn't think big r would find it too appealing, so we'll have to just make do. all of the trees were live - they grew them on their property. all were decorated in different themes; with way more ornaments than i could have counted at one sitting. and, they made the entire lodge feel so homey and in the holiday spirit.

so here they are....the 2010 christmas trees of the von trapp family lodge.

1. .... the green tree ....

with pears, hydrangeas, birds, and berries

2. .... the santa tree ....

santas everywhere!

3. .... the 'austrian' tree ....

i don't know if this is what they call it, but that's my name for it. all of the ornaments were decorated with that austrian flair that was really ornately beautiful, colorful, and so delicate looking.

4. .... the fables tree ....

maybe they call it the 'sun and moon' tree? or, the 'nursery rhyme' tree? many of the ornaments were hand made and the garland included wooden beads. i really liked this one.

5. .... the music tree ....

a tree full of ornaments pertaining to music. as you may know, maria a von trapp was very musically inclined and taught all of the children to sing and play music - hence the inspiration for The Sound of Music. one night while we were there, a woman came to play the piano and sing christmas carols. music was (is) a great tradition with this family, and i thought this tree had some awesome ornaments that reflected that theme. don't ask about the head on the wall - the juxtaposition between the "harmonious" message of the tree versus the "kill or be killed" vibe of the head is just way too obvious. so we move on...

6. .... the red and white winter tree ....

okay, so i'll 'fess up here. i snuck into one of their conference rooms when i looked into the window and saw the room was completely dark except for the lights on this tree. it was spectacular.

7. .... the wilderness camp tree ....

everything you'd need to live it up in a log cabin...in vermont....during the winter. lots of ornaments that were made from wood.

8. .... the gold-ish, orange-ish tree ....

greeting guests was this enormous tree decked out in ornaments of orange and gold.

9. .... the icicle tree ....

this tree was all white with some gold touches. lot's of clear glass ornaments in all shapes and sizes.

10. .... the bird tree ....

this one was in the library and was all about birds, or bird "things" - like bird seeds or bird nests.

okay, so here's one that was kind of like a tree, but not really. it's tree shaped, covered in white doves, has sparkly white lights and clear, glass beads so maybe it is really tree number eleven. it was beautiful and i found it in a long corridor leading to the dining room. on both sides were dozens of original drawings, which were created for a children's book depicting the story of the von trapp family.

merry christmas, happy holidays - new year - channukah - festivus - kwanzaa - whatever!