From teacups and tulips to nutcracker soldiers and an upside down Christmas tree, the holiday displays are sure to please at this year’s Trees of Christmas tour at historic Merrehope.
Decorators and designers are busy these last few days, putting the finishing touches on the displays before Sunday’s opening gala kicks off the 55th annual tour, “Trees of Christmas at Merrehope: All Thru the House.”
Long a tradition in the Meridian community, Trees of Christmas is the largest fundraiser, and the oldest, presented each year by the Meridian Restorations Foundation Inc., which owns the historic home museum. Besides the tour of festively decorated trees, mantlepieces, entranceways, displays and an outdoor garden, several events are planned throughout the holiday season from advent wreath making to photos with Santa to a mimosa brunch to Christmas yoga.
Sunday’s Opening Gala, from 1-4 p.m., will ring in the holiday season at Merrehope. Besides tours of the holiday decorations, entertainment will be provided by pianist Robert Evans and Women of Note, a group of local flutists ranging in age from high school to retirees. The cost to attend is $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and active military members and $5 for students.
“Trees of Christmas is the biggest moneymaker of the year for Merrehope. It helps us raise funds to keep the house looking good, painted and maintained the best we can,” said BJ Hatten, one of the organizers of the event.
“We have lots and lots of old faithfuls who come back and help us decorate each year,” she said. “We couldn’t do this without them and the community’s support.”
Hatten said the foundation has pulled in several new decorators the last couple of years from Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, people who grew up in east Mississippi or have a connection to the area.
“Most of them came as kids to the Trees of Christmas,” she said.
The Shipmates from Naval Air Station Meridian also were a big help this year by volunteering to get out all of the Christmas trees and help set them up, Hatten said.
Donna Owen, a member of the Meridian Restorations board, said a record 66 elaborately decorated trees and exhibits can be seen this year inside Merrehope, as well as on the veranda and grounds. She said designers are asked to change up the themes of their displays each holiday so visitors are not seeing the same decorations year after year.
“We have some wonderful, wonderful surprises this year,” Hatten said.
For the past decade, designer Wilson Lovett has been charged with decorating the signature tree in the downstairs double parlor.
“I want it to be completely different every year so I work on the tree almost all year to get it ready,” Lovett said. “It’s just an honor to be able to have something that people enjoy.”
He said this year’s design, “Vivid Vibe,” is a tribute to his friend and Meridian artist Joey Horne, who passed away earlier this year. The brightly colored ornaments and oversized butterflies in pink, blue, purple, green, orange, yellow and silver coordinate with one of Horne’s colorful paintings sitting on a nearby table.
Madden Gray, a decorator and owner of MG & Company in Philadelphia, who Owen said has created floral displays for the Governor’s Mansion in Jackson, brings a touch of spring to the fireplace mantle in the dining room. Titled “Tulip The Season,” the greenery display features pink tulips surrounded by holiday-themed ribbons and bows.
In the upstairs Green Room, Debra Hayes, a decorator from Newton, takes viewers to Wonderland with her pink, black and white tree adorned with antique porcelain tea cups and saucers. A zebra, wearing a pink ribbon collar, rests underneath the tree, aptly named “Wonderland Awaits.”
Tennessee designer Jason Ivey, an east Mississippi native, gives a nod to Highland Park’s historic Dentzel Carousel with a tree in the downstairs Dining Room that he named “Merre-Go-Round the Holidays.” The tree, which features a carousel horse, is in the signature Victorian colors of pink, burgundy, gold and white.
Bet Deweese, a co-organizer of the holiday event, brings a little interest to a corner in the upstairs hallway with an upside down Christmas tree, decked out in an Asian-inspired or “Christmas Around the World” theme. She came across some old Japanese ornaments, most likely donated by one of the Navy wives who were actively involved in the preservation of Merrehope back in the 1970s, and combined them with ornaments, mostly from India, her mother-in-law collected during her travels.
“Upside down trees are fun, but it really was a practical thing” she said. “That corner is a high-traffic area during the tours, so I thought an upside down tree might work really well there.”
Merrehope will be open daily for tours through Dec. 31, but closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Doors open at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Merrehope closes at 4 p.m. each day. Group tours are available. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and active military and $5 for students.
Other ‘All Thru the House’ events
Several other activities are planned at Merrehope this season as part of Trees of Christmas, including two that are sure to be popular with children. Photos with Santa and Cocoa and Cookies with Mrs. Claus are both slated to be held from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3. Children and students will get the chance to tour the holiday trees and have cookies and hot cocoa with Mrs. Claus for $5. They can also have their photo taken with Santa Claus by a professional photographer for a $20 donation.
“This is bringing back pictures with Santa Claus, which we have not had since 1998 or 1999,” said Deweese, noting it used to be a tradition years ago.
The photos will be taken next to the revamped Victorian tree that used to be displayed in the F.W. Williams home. She said many local residents can remember having their photo taken with Santa by the Victorian tree years ago.
“My daughter was 15 years old and she is 39 now. I have all of my old pictures that I pull out every year that were the pictures with Santa,” she said.
Other events planned during the season include advent wreath making on Sunday, Nov. 26, from 1-4 p.m. and Mimosas & Merrehope, a popular brunch fare with live entertainment and mimosas, on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. until noon. Tickets for Mimosas & Merrehope are $50 and must be purchased in advance since attendance is limited.
Two evening events are in the works, including Spirits at Merrehope from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14, and Christmas Yoga on Tuesday, Dec. 19, from 5-7 p.m. During Spirits at Merrehope, attendees can bring their own spirits and enjoy a night under the Christmas lights. The cost to attend is $15 and includes a tour, entertainment and light refreshments. The cost for Christmas Yoga also is $15 and includes a tour of Merrehope.
Merrehope is located at 905 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Meridian. For more information about Trees of Christmas and other holiday events, visit merrehope.com.