Victoria Holiday Bliss 2022

Dear Friends The trimming of the tree is perhaps the most beloved Yuletide tradition in my home. Bare branches seem to extend an invitation to welcome our family’s most cherished ornaments—solemnly promising to shelter not only these prized keepsakes but also the accompanying memories. Whether I decorate in solitude or with the help of other eager hands, each bauble is placed upon the bough with care. Gazing upon the fully adorned evergreen, entwined with ribbons and aglow with glimmering lights, I find myself most enchanted by our cache of silver bells, reflecting on the stories behind them. Each one holds a sentimental link to a special person, trip, or occasion. Collections shine brightest at Christmas, and this Victoria Classics issue brims with festive finds, from my own sterling gems to lovely Old-World treasures.…

Huntsville, Alabama, residents Jennifer and Mitchell Britt spent years looking for a house in the city’s downtown district before coming across a classic Georgian that won their hearts in 1981. “When we walked through the back door and I saw that staircase, I knew this was the home for us,” says Jennifer. “The Adams-style mantel in the living room was icing on the cake.” As is often the case, the circa 1926 structure came with a few problems—no air conditioning, a noisy steam boiler, and a kitchen that hadn’t been updated in sixty years. Fortunately, the couple looked past the “institutional green” paint and astronaut wallpaper—a nod to Huntsville’s NASA connection—and envisioned the showplace it could be. They did most of the work themselves, and between this restoration and the one…

The classic Queen Anne Victorian façade of Carol Haigler’s residence gives way to interiors that are essentially French Country. A rich gold palette runs throughout the rooms, where the antiques she and her husband, Larry, have so lovingly curated through the years have a certain presence found only in things that have grown more beautiful with age. In the living room, a massive Louis XV–style fireplace, reaching two stories to the ceiling, dates to the mid-1700s, and it has done more than its fair share of traveling. The piece originally came over by boat from France, making its way to Memphis by way of New Orleans, and eventually finding a forever home with the Haiglers. Whether to incorporate such a distinctive focal point “was a big decision to make,” says Carol,…

Though often associated with the magical hullabaloo of Mardi Gras, New Orleans is equally engaging at Yuletide, when beribboned wreaths and lavish garlands adorn front doors and candles blaze in houses of worship during sacred services held in honor of the Christ child. Built in 1840 as the first Catholic church erected outside the French Quarter, St. Patrick’s is located in the Central Business District. The impressive Gothic tower is recognized as a city landmark, but the interiors are every bit as awe-inspiring. Fan vaulting canopies the main altar, where a trio of murals depict ecclesiastical scenes. Less than 2 miles away, gothic architecture also graces Christ Church Cathedral, erected in 1886 on St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District. The sanctuary features stained-glass lancet windows within pointed arches, bordered by…