CHRISTMAS WITH THE POMEROY FAMILY IN ARKANSAS AND CHARLESTON
Chelsea Pomeroy, her husband Seth, their four daughters Mary Grace, Abigail, Jane Claire, Charlotte and little George live in Arkansas. Christmas is a particularly joyful time of the year for all the family. In this article, they share about their traditions.
How do you decorate your home?
We usually begin mid November by getting small trees out for the kids’ rooms.
George, who just turned 3, had his very first one last year. It is a particularly sentimental one with many special ornaments : his first pair of shoes, a single shoe of his that lost its mate, a porcelain little boy figurine given to my husband from his grandmother in 1983, then the oldest thing of all...a silver barrel bank that has Seth’s Grandfather’s, Seth’s Dad, Seth’s & George’s name & birth dates engraved on it, dating all the way back to 1912.
We then decorate the living room tree and place the nativity set on the coffee table. The girls take great pride in getting each piece set just right.
And for the last couple years, we have saved the Christmas train to pull out on Christmas Eve. It is a fun little surprise for Christmas morning!
Are there special places you like to visit during the festive season?
In central Arkansas, one of the best places to go to get in the holiday spirit is The Capital Hotel.
The magnificent tree in the lobby is perfect for photos and the life size gingerbread house always delight the children. The girls make sure to bring their gingerbread purses to match!
They also love writing their list to Santa in his big book and of course sending him letters! As you can imagine, they always want to sit on the nice chair and not the naughty one!
This year, we were also able to enjoy a December trip to Charleston with just George and Seth. Christmas in Charleston is a southerners’ dream.
We loved our time at The Charleston Place Hotel. A large train & village in the lobby made George (and Seth) beam with delight.
We all loved the Christmas caroling on a carriage ride and snowfall at the Charleston Place each evening!
The traditional evening treat with cookies & cocoa was lovely too.
And of course, once again we mailed Santa, just in case he had forgotten our wishes!
Do you have other family traditions?
If we like to make our home festive, Christmas is also about opening our hearts to others. May we never forget the true meaning of Christmas!
We have two special traditions we love to do each year.
The first one is taking treats to our neighbors. During the pandemic we took seasonal smelling soaps tied up with a Christmas tag but last year we were able to do baked goods again.
We usually deliver the Christmas goodies by ringing the door bells. Christmas crack & reindeer treats is our usual tradition to take. We like to use The Big Delicious Life recipe - see here.
Another way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Christmas caroling is a second tradition dear to our heart. Bringing cheer to the elderly and those that are shut in helps us all to realize what Christmas is all about!
Our church always does a beautiful evening of Christmas songs, live nativity, reading of the Christmas story & ending the evening with carols by candlelight. The girls sing in the choir & this year there will be an angel choir Jane Claire & Abigail will be in. You can watch it live here.
On Christmas Eve, we always go over the river and through woods to Honey’s ( my grandmother) house. The past two years we have had to do a drive by Christmas with Honey & Pots waving on the porch but this year will be our first year back to Christmas as usual since Christmas 2019.
Then on Christmas morning, the children always come barreling down the stairs and quickly go to their stockings.
The girls are always so excited to go shopping for each other and exchange gifts after they’ve opened gifts from us. They all exchange their gifts and sometimes giggle when they’ve accidentally picked out the same thing for each other.
We then enjoy a family meal together!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Follow Chelsea's family on Instagram @chelsea_pomeroy
The very first and last photos are by Tracy Hodge Van Dover. Follow her on Instagram @vandoverphoto. The girls and George are wearing Charlotte sy Dimby creations.
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