It is nearly Christmas time?

It is very strange to think that Christmas is in 5 weeks. It doesn’t really feel like that.

Normally I would be sitting in my living room in England where it would rain or maybe even snow. It would definitely be colder than it is here right now. This is, at least to me, what a Christmas feeling is sort of about: cold, grey weather, you sit at home with your blanket and your steaming cup of tea starring into the crackling fireplace.

No such luck this year. This is probably the reason why I’m not really in the Christmas mood.

But that changed yesterday when we went to the Festival of Trees hosted by The Carolina Inn in Pinehurst.

For those of you who are not quite familiar with this, I’ll quickly explain the “tradition”.

The Festival of Trees is a showcase of over 200 decorated holiday trees, wreaths, gift baskets and gingerbread houses displayed throughout a winter wonderland. It is on from November 6 up until November 11 and it will include a silent auction, live entertainment, a Holiday Benefit Gala, Festival Marketplace and more. Admission is by any monetary donation only, so you can chose for yourself how much you want to give. All proceeds will go to benefit the Sandhills Children’s Center.

You can find all kinds of different themed trees: golf, universities (NC State, UNC, Duke), children’s games, and so much more. There is a tree for everyone in the family. And the highlight for the little ones is the Candy Cane Lane where the kids can visit Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Although some of the trees might be a bit to extravagant to actually put up in your own living room, they are all very creative and detailed. You can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit when you see all those beautiful trees (even when it is warm and sunny outside).

I can only recommend to go see this festival, especially if you’re not quite feeling the Christmas spirit yet. (I can assure you, afterwards you will.) You can have fun exploring all the different trees, go visit Santa Claus, bid on the items if you feel like it and it’s for a good cause; what’s not to love? It is a real spectacle not to be missed!