How do you top a chandelier Christmas Tree?

Marietta, Georgia’s 2010 Holiday Pilgrimage shows off beautiful homes

by Kathy Witt

People are still buzzing about the chandelier Christmas tree.

Trimmed with a dozen or so vintage chandeliers, the tree stood in chic magnificence in the circa 1924 McNeel-Harpenau House, the warmth and color of the holidays reflected in its dozens of crystal prisms. Designed by Will Hopkins of Kennesaw’s Fleu de Coop Antiques & Interiors to play up the home’s neo-classical elements and marble accents, it was the showstopper at the 2009 Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour.

For the 24th annual event, planned for December 4 and 5, anticipation has been building about the circa 1851 Brumby Hall and Gardens owing to a reputation for opulence in its use of natural elements, including fresh magnolia, holly and pine, and the circa 1880s Thomas Warehouse, a former livery stable housing the Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum, where tours will be led by none other than “Rhett Butler” and “Scarlett O’Hara.” They are two of the nine historic public buildings and six historic private homes, all lovingly restored and trimmed to the holiday nines, on the 2010 tour.

The Pilgrimage by the numbers

Named a Top 100 Event in North American and a Top 20 Event in the Southeast – a record 13 times – the Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour involves all five of the city’s nationally registered historic districts and takes months of planning, an army of volunteers and a cadre of Home Owner Liaisons and House Chairpersons who train a staff of docents to welcome a steady stream of guests over two full days.

“We are a well-oiled machine, with some people on the committee who’ve been involved since the very beginning in 1987,” says Theresa Jenkins, whose home, the 1901 Wallace-Kuhlman-Jenkins House, made its own stir on last year’s tour with a Christmas tree festooned with dozens of silver spoons, many of them collected from estate sales.

More than 3,000 ornaments, thousands of magnolia leaves, 500-plus strands of lights and over 100 poinsettias are used in decorating the houses. A half a dozen or more hotel rooms are booked for homeowners for the event weekend to clear the way for the 5,000 or so visitors who will ooh and ah over vintage, traditional and highly artistic holiday schemes. Dozens of plastic mats are stashed in closets in case of inclement weather and scads of booties are stowed in attics to cover shoes for treading on floors that need extra TLC.

The home tour was the brainchild of Jenkins, executive director of the Marietta Welcome Center & Visitors Bureau, who presented it to her board of directors 25 years ago. Seven hundred visitors came that first year and the event, like a fine wine, has steadily improved with age.

New this year

 This year, in addition to the beautifully decorated homes and public buildings, the tour includes a new event: Candlelight Bistro at the Brickyard, tucked into a 1920s warehouse at Marietta Station on the Square, will offer two special dinner seatings on Saturday evening with a menu inspired by the historic homes and the holidays.

“This makes the perfect date night,” says Jenkins of the tour package that combines the home tour with an evening at the Bistro.

Both historic and hip with its barreled wooden ceilings and original brickwork, the Bistro will also keep daytime hours so visitors can warm up and grab a light lunch or something for a sweet tooth.

Holiday home highlights

Besides the new bistro dinners, there are several highlights for this year’s tour. At the McClellan-Apple-Bullington House, a simple Victorian bungalow built in 1904 by Mary Kate McClellan – a cousin to Alice McClellan Birney who founded the PTA – visitors can see a collection of Civil War guns and memorabilia in addition to the holiday ornamentation. The home’s decorator, Beth Speckles, was named one of the Top 10 Decorators in Dallas before moving to Marietta.

The owner at the 1905 Powell House plans to include childhood handmade ornaments to embellish the tree in the nursery. The twin-gabled Gordon-Padgett-Owens House will include a display of antique watches amidst holiday trimmings.

All of the homes and buildings on the Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour are within walking distance of Marietta’s historic town square – itself a hub of yuletide fun and activity with lots of come-hither shops and boutiques, restaurants and events adding to the merrymaking. The annual Holiday Tree Lighting, accompanied by Santa’s arrival, takes place on the square on Thurs., Dec. 2. Candlelight Shopping on the Square takes place on Fri., Dec. 3. Visit with St. Nick in his brightly decorated workshop on weekends leading up to Christmas.

The holiday productions, “A Tuna Christmas” and “The Sanders Family Christmas,” will be presented at Theatre in the Square through the month and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, “42nd Street,” plays at The Strand Theatre, Thursdays through Sundays, Dec. 3 through 19. And, adding a macabre twist to Christmas, the Eat Drink and Be Scary tour, presented on Fri., Dec. 10 by Ghosts of Marietta and the Historic Marietta Trolley Company, offers up an evening of stories with the Ghosts of Christmas Past.

Homes featured on the Pilgrimage

The 2010 Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour, sponsored by the Marietta Welcome Center & Visitors Bureau and Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, will showcase homes in the Northwest Marietta-Kennesaw Avenue Historic District, with six private homes and nine public buildings. Visit the “Tour Homes” page for pictures and histories of featured properties: 

The McClellan-Apple-Bullington House
The Gordon-Padgett-Owens House
The Powell House
The Millwood-Luxemburger-Kinney House
The Marlow House
First Presbyterian Church
St. James Episcopal Church
Root House Museum
Thomas Warehouse
The Kennesaw House
Brumby Hall and Gardens
The Brickyard at Marietta Station
Old Zion Baptist Church
First Baptist Church, Chapel

If You Go

The Pilgrimage will take place December 4-5, 2010. A Day Tour and an evening Candlelight Tour are available. The Day Tour showcases all six homes and public buildings; the Candlelight Tour features three of the six homes. You may also purchase a combination ticket which allows you to see the public buildings and three of the homes during the Day Tour and the remaining three homes during the Candlelight Tour. The Day Tour runs 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. The Candlelight Tour is 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday. Check the Schedule page for details.

The new Candlelight Bistro at the Brickyard will off two dinner seatings, at 6:30 and 8 p.m., on Sat., Dec. 4. The cost is $25 per person.

Day Tour tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the tour. Candlelight Tour tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of the tour. The combination ticket is $20 in advance and $25 the day of the tour. Group discounts are offered. Tickets may be purchased in person from the Marietta Welcome Center or Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society. You can also download and mail in a ticket reservation form with your check or buy tickets online with a credit card from the Pilgrimage website. NOTE: Children under age 8 are not permitted on tour.

Shuttle transportation is provided for the Day Tour and run about every 15-20 minutes in a continuous route. There is no shuttle provided for the Candlelight Tour; however, Candlelight Tour houses are in close proximity and are easily walkable. Comfortable shoes and a flashlight are recommended.

In addition to the Pilgrimage, there are many holiday activities taking place in Marietta, including the opening of Santa’s Workshop on the Marietta Square.

Information: Marietta Welcome Center, 770-429-1115; Marietta Pilgrimage, 770-426-4982.