If you need inspiration to get into the holiday spirit, a visit to the Winterthur Yuletide Tour will do the trick. Winterthur was the home to Henry Francis du Pont and his family. These days, the 175-room mansion is home to a collection of 90,000 American decorative arts which were made or used since 1640. Winterthur is also 1,000 acres of protected meadows, woodlands, ponds, and waterways. Considered as one of the best in the country, the garden was designed by du Pont himself.
The Winterthur Yuletide Tour is an annual event that celebrates the holiday season. You travel back to a time when the holidays were celebrated with grandeur. The iconic Dried Flower Tree welcomes the visitor as you first walk in through the conservatory.
A du Pont tradition was exchanging gifts after lunch on Christmas Day. Shown here in the Marlboro Room: market baskets with shipping tags (with names written in chalk) were placed next to a chair. Gifts were simple: a bottle of Scotch, necktie, marron glacé, or a book.
Flowers and antique furniture were some of du Pont’s passion and it shows in each and every room. Walking through the festively and tastefully decorated mansion, for me, was a moment of reflection and inspiration. The Yuletide Tour is a one-of-a-kind holiday experience and Winterthur is a place of beauty and history.
