The view of the bay from the beautifully decorated loggia

When Nancy Rosner learned that this year’s Blithewold Christmas theme was A Grand Tour of Europe, she drew inspiration for her “Christmas in Sweden” theme in the loggia from the colors Sweden is known for. She searched Sweden-themed websites for the ideas she needed to pull the loggia together into a perfect Swedish Christmas look. She is using the colors of blue and white and crystal for a lovely clean and bright Scandinavian look. The challenge for Nancy has been to use items already available to her and not spending too much money—a challenge for most of our decorating volunteers!

Touches of blue, white, and crystal are featured

A fifth-year decorating veteran, Nancy keeps coming back  because she loves the delight of holiday visitors who come to experience the joy of the Mansion arrayed in all its Christmas finery for the very special Christmas at Blithewold season. Not only does she enjoy getting creative but envisioning how the final product will come together is a reward in itself.

Beautifully wrapped Christmas gifts under a beautifully decorated tree

Nancy has decorated not just one, but two areas in the Mansion. She told us that one of her most memorable Blithewold Christmas seasons was her first year, when she helped Mary Brown decorate the Master Bedroom. The theme that year was Merry Woods and their colors were copper and teal. The final result, for which the women used some of their own decorations as well as Blithewold’s, was absolutely delightful, which gave both women a great deal of satisfaction. Now, bringing in decorating pieces from your own homes sounds like some serious volunteer dedication to me!

For more progress on Blithewold’s holiday transformation check out our Facebook page and Twitter. To see more photographs of Christmas at Blithewold please visit our Flickr and Pinterest!

Warmest Regards,

Caitlin Galeotti
Roger Williams University 2014
Blithewold Communications Intern