See, we don’t ALWAYS wear our fur-trimmed hats, green tights, and curl-toed shoes! But we ARE always looking for ways to do things better – here we are, brainstorming efficiency improvements in inventory management – so you’ll see even more quickly the best new merchandise our buyers select this year.
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
P.S. Extra credit if you can point out the two most unexpected elves in the room…
We were very blessed to be spared the worst of yesterday’s weather, but there was plenty of rain over the mountains. Leaving work Wednesday night, I drove as close as I dared to the raging rapids behind the store. It was dusk, and still raining, so I must apologize for the quality of these images, but I think you’ll get a feel for what was happening. On a normal day, the water would not even be visible from this vantage point - did you even know we have a river running behind the store?
It’s amazing to see the water surging around our picnic tables and into the lot! By the way, I did not use a special lens or any computer manipulation - the special effects here are just raindrops on the camera lens – kind of interesting, I’ve decided.
Just to compare, here are pictures I took Thursday – the day after the flood. If you are familiar with the area, you can see that the water that surged into our lot left a bit of a mess in its wake.
You can’t even see the water in the river today!
Oh, wait .. here it is - still surging – but down several feet from yesterday.
Okay, yes, a few feet of river water rise is quite an event for January in Pigeon Forge!
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
P.S. Beautiful snow on the mountain peaks – more on the way this weekend. It’s okay if it stays up on the mountain peaks – camera range will be quite sufficient, thank you.
We are so proud to announce that we have once again been chosen as a Top 25 Hotel by TripAdvisor® in the 2013 Travelers’ Choice® awards.
The Inn at Christmas Place
Now in its eleventh year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels. The awards are earned from those who know them best – real travelers. Unlike any other hotel awards programs in the world, TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice® winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com™ and content from across the web. The Inn at Christmas Place is ranked 25th in the Top 25 Hotels in the United States.
We send out a great big “Thank you!” to our guests, who have recently complemented us with comments such as “Enchanting,” “Our new favorite,” “I do believe this is the happiest place on earth,” “We visit again and again,” and “Paradise.” We’re still working our way up the list – and we believe #1 is definitely an achievable goal.
Since we opened in 2007, our owners, the Biggs, Barnes, and Rodriguez families, and our General Manager Ray Ogle have always made hospitality, service, and luxurious comfort the priorities at The Inn, and our guests definitely notice the difference – and thank us for it with many return visits.
Have you tried our Sleep in Heavenly Peace bedding? Do you have a favorite Christmas room or suite? (I choose room 525 – with the big balcony overlooking the mountains.) Do you come especially for a Santa concert, or for our Christmas in July and December concerts and activities exclusively for guests? And, really, who else is going to make sure there are Hershey’s KISSES® in your room every night?
Sweet Treats!
Take a look at our reviews for yourself .
And take at look at the complete 2013 Travelers’ Choice list.
Sadly, I don’t think we’ll be able to move the hotel from Pigeon Forge to Hawaii anytime soon …
Thanks again to all our wonderful guests, who keep coming back and who tell others about the terrific time you’ve had when you’ve stayed with us. We really love y’all, too!
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
P.S. Have you booked your Valentine’s Getaway yet? We may still have a sweet room just for you. Check out our Romance & Valentines specials.
Want to see some pictures from our fast and furious 24 hour snow event? (Click on each picture to see a larger view.)
(Only footsteps. The car had to overnight in a parking lot a mile away – DOWNHILL from the house…)
It’s amazing that most of the images look like black-and-white photos – but they aren’t!
Diamonds scattered across the snow!
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
Christmas Place is joining with the Sevier County community, businesses and individuals, in raising support for Regen, the young man with brain tumors. This Friday through Sunday, we’ll donate a portion of our sales to the fund to help cover his extensive medical bills.
If you’d like to make a personal donation, SmartBank has set up a fund for Regen.
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
Yes, believe it or not, we even love taking inventory for Santa around here. I mean, just look at all these smiling faces. Clearly, it is a joyous time of year for us all! (The sugar cookies with icing and chocolate sprinkles sure did help a lot, too.)
All this elfin fun happening behind the scenes here at the store – would you believe it?! Now, someone, please bring me a sharpened pencil and another roll of tape, thank you…
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
Wow, am I going to miss my weekly Spinach-and-Strawberry Salad with chicken on top this winter! Something to look forward to during the long, dark days…
On Monday, December 31st, The Partridge & Pear Restaurant at Christmas Place is closing for the winter as the owners consider the future direction of the business. While the restaurant’s popularity has grown steadily over the two-and-a-half years since it opened, gaining both a local fan base and repeat visits from out-of-town guests, profitability has been an ongoing challenge.
“We are very proud of what was accomplished by our staff at the restaurant since it opened in 2010. Our creative chefs, dedicated kitchen staff, and caring service team worked hard to deliver a wonderful dining experience to guests over the years!” said Carolyn Fairbank Biggs, president of Christmas Place Properties. “We wish each of them the best in their continued careers in hospitality in Sevier County.”
Immediate plans are for continued operation of the property as a food and meeting venue, to be utilized by The Inn at Christmas Place and for reserved events. The restaurant has successfully hosted many weddings, parties, private meetings and dinner events, and expects to continue these functions. However, continuing as a public eatery with the current business strategy is not likely to improve financial performance; therefore, new opportunities and concepts are being studied at this time.
Stay tuned for more as plans develop (as long as they keep my salad!).
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
“Dear Santa,
I would like for instead of you bringing me presents, to give presents to all the boys and girls at St. Jude Children’s Hospital presents.”
Landri in West Virginia
“Dear Santa,
Our names are Holly and Tigger and we are the apples of our Mommy and Daddy’s eyes. We would love to have new kitty toys and catnip for Christmas. Thank you, Santa”
Love Holly & Tigger in Iowa
“Dear Santa,
First I must apologize because I was mad at you for not bringing me a good Christmas all those years. But now I am thankful because I have grown to appreciate the joy of Christmas and its true meaning. I may be a grown man, but you represent everything I missed in my childhood and everything I can’t wait to give my children. Thank you for being the Spirit of Christmas.”
Kenneth in Kentucky
“Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is: For everyone to be happy for once. Aunt Laura & Daddy are always fighting and I’m really tired of it! It makes Grandma so sad. That’s all I want. Thanks.”
Rebecca in North Carolina
“Santa,
Can you get me some decor for my desk at school? Please? If you are, select Yes. If you are not, select No.”
Della in Tennessee
“Dear Santa,
I have a wonderful new husband. I’m 61 and didn’t think I would ever be happy again after my husband died. Now we are staying here and buying a house here. Thank you for all my Christmas past and in the future. Bless all our children.”
Pam in Illinois
”Dear Santa,
I would like to have some candy. It would be nice for Jordan to give me a kiss, also. A Santa book would be great to have. Thanks so much!”
Bella, 6 yrs. old, in Tennessee
“Dear Santa,
You are such a popular guy – I’m 82 years old and I’ve had lots of time to wish. You always come thru. Thank You from my heart. Merry Christmas.
P.S. By the way this is our 65th wedding anniversary on Dec. 14th.”
P.
“Dear Santa,
I am an old dude who basically has all he needs for Christmas. My wish is to help the kids in the world who need food and care. Also if possible, please bring each kid a toy.
P.S. I still believe in you.”
Bill in Tennessee
“Dear Santa,
Thank you for all the joy you have sent to us every day since last Christmas. It’s so exciting to see the bright lights and hear our favorite carols again! Please send snow for Christmas this year, so we can make snow angels and snow milk. Thank you for reminding us that, if we take the time to look around us, we can always find someone with whom to share the spirit of hope in our hearts, in good times and in bad times. And thanks for helping us celebrate the Greatest Gift ever given.”
Clara Grace, Indiana
I love making up my own names for the trees in the store. Here’s a 12′ tree, flocked and filled with woodland kinds of ornaments, black bears, and beautiful red accents. It starts with two almost-life-sized bears, dressed to keep warm for the winter. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of this one, so forgive me if I’m repetetive here – I have {mad love} for the decor on this tree! You’ll find many of the items on this tree in our Woodland Theme collection, and you might want to mix in some Cabin Theme, too. (We have put together 132 themes on our website this year.)
Smoky Bear on skis!
I love those red-red-red pine cones! They have just a touch of glitter, and look great with a little snow on top.
As always, you should be able to click twice on the pictures to see them full sized (not a double click, but click again on the next screen) - I like to make them as large as possible, so you can see more of the details.
What theme are you working on this year? I have more to show you!
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
P.S. Don’t forget our two artist signings this weekend (November 17th & 18th, 2012) – Mario Tare, the Christopher Radko Company designer on Saturday from noon until 2 p.m.; and R.J. McDonald with his Santa pictures on both Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come and see all the new lights we’ve added to our courtyard & buildings this year – it’s quite beautiful!
On the road I travel each day, there is a house that has been displaying Christmas lights since early October. I say, two thumbs up! It’s such a pick-me-up to enjoy those colorful lights on a night when I’ve been at the office later than planned…
Well, we’ve done the same here at Christmas Place – this has been a week of lighting up the courtyard for Christmas! I don’t have any after-dark photos yet, but here are some just-at-dusk pictures I caught yesterday.
Look at this handsome rig we have added below the clock.
Santa & Reindeer all a-glow!
You’ll also see some new elf friends alongside our reindeer.
I'm not sure he's feeling all that merry today, what do you think?
Now check out our lights. Okay, you may have to squint a little for this picture – the wreaths & the garland are lighted, as well as all the rooflines.
I mean, don’t we all have our own cherry-pickers so we can light up the house and yard?? Hope you come down to see our lights, as well as the Winterfest lights that are on display all the way from Sevierville through Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg.
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
P.S. May I share one more photo? I had the priviledge of attending a Salute to Veterans luncheon at the Dixie Stampede today, and was even seated next to the guest of honor, Sgt. Ed Douglas from just up the road in Morristown. His battalion cleared 2,500 miles of roads in Afghanistan last year, without any loss of life, even though they were bombed many, many times. (They also got to enjoy 8″ of snow for Thanksgiving, which we did not.) This Sunday is Veterans Day, and we hope that you will thank a veteran when you have the opportunity. Sgt. Douglas said that it is not a burden, but an honor to serve the U.S. The burden is in being away from family and friends. Thank you, Sgt. Douglas and all veterans! (Dad, two uncles, my sister, two brothers-in-law, and many personal friends – and now children of my friends – thank you!)
Sgt. Ed Douglas
