Celebrating a Gilded Age Christmas

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Each year, our floral department selects a theme inspired by the Vanderbilt era, and they interpret it throughout the entire estate, from Biltmore House to Antler Hill Village & Winery, plus The Inn on Biltmore Estate, our new Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate, and all our shops restaurants. For 2015, the theme reflects all the style and splendor associated with ‘A Gilded Age Christmas.’

But what does “Gilded Age” really mean? We turned to Laura Overbey, Collections Manager, for a helpful definition.

“Gilded Age refers to the time period in which the Vanderbilts and their peers lived,” said Laura. “It is a unique time in American history that included the construction of grand and elegantly decorated estates filled with high society and glittering parties.”

Chandelier detailTo reflect the shimmering splendor of a Gilded Age Christmas inside Biltmore House, Floral concentrated on highlighting the stunning interior details like mantels, carvings, and light fixtures complemented by dozens of beautifully decorated trees, miles of fresh greenery and wreaths, and ornaments.

“We’ve created an elegant holiday statement that reflects the luxury of that time,” said Cathy Barnhardt, Floral Displays Manager. “The emphasis is on rich layers of color accented with metallic touches of gold, silver, and platinum.”

The Banquet Hall is always a guest favorite during Christmas. This year, the traditional 40’ fresh-cut Fraser fir is decorated with Edison-style white lights, tinsel, brightly-wrapped gift boxes, vintage toys tied on with bows, and enormous, colorful ornaments in keeping with the size of the tree. Also included in the charming display is a bright red, child-sized one-horse sleigh that dates from the turn of the century.

Decorations and wrapped packages on the Christmas treeThe tree and the packages are reminiscent of the first Biltmore Christmas when the children of estate workers gathered in the hall to receive presents chosen especially for them. In December 1895 the Asheville Citizen noted that “A beautiful Christmas tree that stood in the Banquet Hall causing the loveliest anticipation of the little folks was then stripped of its heavy trimming of gifts. Each guest was remembered.”

In the Salon, a stately tree decorated with feminine details that suggest ladies hats, feathers, and jeweled pieces was inspired by Edith Vanderbilt’s use of the space as a sitting room where she entertained her friends with afternoon tea.

A quartet of trees in the Tapestry Gallery feature dozens of cherubs peeping out from the branches in honor of the Nativity, the centerpiece of the longest room in Biltmore House. The Tapestry Gallery trees and those in the Third Floor Living Hall also feature globe-shaped German wax ornaments decorated with floral patterns.

“These are my favorite ornaments, and ones I used to decorate during my first Christmas here nearly 40 years ago,” said Cathy. “They are very traditional and so fitting for this year’s Gilded Age theme.”

Sparkling Christmas ornamentsThere’s nothing quite as special celebrating the holidays at Biltmore, and since George Vanderbilt chose to open his home to his friends and family at Christmas 1895, it’s only fitting that we continue that tradition today. We hope you’ll join us for both our Christmas at Biltmore daytime celebration and our magical Candlelight Christmas Evenings.

A timeless tradition continues: Biltmore’s employee Christmas party

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Although Christmas at Biltmore is our busiest season of the year, for one special night each November, Biltmore employees and their families gather to enjoy their own special Christmas evening amidst the twinkling lights and beautiful decorations adorning Biltmore House.

Today, our event programming team oversees the employee festivities, and this tradition is one of the many ways Biltmore honors Mr. Vanderbilt’s legacy.

Learn more about the annual employee Christmas celebrations that began 130 years ago.

While there are no images from the first Christmas celebration, we know that preparations for the big event were extensive and no detail was left unattended thanks to archival letters and news articles.

Biltmore’s first employee Christmas party

When George Vanderbilt first opened Biltmore House to his family and friends on Christmas Eve 1895, guests were greeted in the Banquet Hall by a splendidly tall tree laden with gifts for estate workers. He enlisted the help of Mrs. Charles McNamee, the wife of his friend who assisted in purchasing land for the estate, to provide Christmas gifts for 300–500 guests, including estate workers and their families. Mr. Vanderbilt greeted everyone in the Banquet Hall on Christmas afternoon, and members of his own family helped distribute the gifts, which included Christmas trees and trimmings for estate employees to decorate their own homes.

“Not only did Mr. Vanderbilt provide very generous Christmas bonuses to employees, but can you imagine what this party meant to employees’ children and families? Some people came from as far away as the Tennessee state line, and that was quite a trip—especially in horse and wagon days,” said Patricia Phillips, Entertainment and Events Manager.

1907 receipt of gifts purchased by Edith Vanderbilt for employees Christmas festivities.
1907 receipt of gifts purchased by Edith Vanderbilt for employees Christmas festivities.

A festive family affair

George married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in 1898, and she took an immediate and active interest in the estate’s annual Christmas festivities as soon as she and George returned from their honeymoon in October of that year. She began making detailed lists of all employees’ children, their ages, and choosing special gifts for each of them—more than 600 children in all!

In 1905, when George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child, Cornelia, would have been five years old, the New York Times reported the following details about the holiday cheer at Biltmore:

“Mr. and Mrs. George W. Vanderbilt this afternoon provided for nearly a thousand children of Biltmore estate employees a big tree in the banquet hall of the chateau. The little ones were loaded with useful gifts and toys…bought in Asheville in the last week…Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt welcomed each of the little guests, many of whom came twenty miles from the coves and mountain tops of the Vanderbilt forest domain, some walking, some by ox team and some mule back…. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt…personally distributed all the gifts, aided by Mrs. Edith Wharton, Mr. Wharton, and Mrs. Ernesto G. Fabbri (George Vanderbilt’s niece].”

In her oral history, Edith Cauble, whose parents worked on the estate, recalls:

“Christmas parties where Mr. Vanderbilt stood on one side of the front door of the House in tails, and Edith stood on the other side wearing a long velvet dress giving out oranges and candy. In the Banquet Hall there was music and Cornelia would run around with the other children.”

Biltmore employee Christmas party held at Antler Hall in 1916 (Edith Vanderbilt is right of center in a black hat; Cornelia Vanderbilt is on her left in a light-colored hat)
Biltmore employee Christmas party held at Antler Hall in 1916.

Employee Christmas celebrations continue

Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt continued the employee Christmas parties even after George Vanderbilt passed away in 1914. In 1916, the event took place outdoors at Antler Hall—a large home originally located where The Inn on Biltmore Estate® now sits. In the archival photograph featured here, you can see Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt in front of the Christmas tree with Santa Claus.

Santa
Today’s employee Christmas festivities include visits with Santa!

Modern-day employee Christmas celebrations

Although the wrapped packages under today’s Banquet Hall tree are decorative rather than full of surprises, that doesn’t mean Biltmore has ended the Vanderbilt gift-giving tradition! It’s still a grand occasion with gifts for the children, visits with Santa, and a wonderful opportunity to see America’s Largest Home® lit by the glow of candles and firelight during Candlelight Christmas Evenings.

“It’s really neat to me that this tradition has remained year after year. We’ve modernized it a little with Excel spreadsheets and such, but otherwise, it hasn’t changed that much. We give more than 300 gifts each year, and though they are more contemporary than the presents children would have received in the early 1900s, they always reflect the Vanderbilt spirit of warmth and generosity,” said Patricia.

Our Christmas tree-toppers top them all!

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When George Vanderbilt’s grandson inherited Biltmore House in 1960, the immense home had been open to the public for three decades. Each year, Biltmore House was closed December–March because there were so few visitors during the winter.

A successful experiment

After repeated requests from guests to see his family home decked for the holidays, William A.V. Cecil decided to keep Biltmore open and see what happened. What began as a modest experiment with a few decorated trees has grown enormously through the years to become Biltmore’s grandest season. The estate now welcomes approximately 250,000 visitors each year during this time period!

The showpiece of Christmas at Biltmore is always the 35-foot fresh Fraser Fir tree that adorns the Banquet Hall. Once lighted and decorated, the big tree—grown especially for Biltmore at a family farm in Avery County—becomes a memorable part of the guest experience.

Grand tree-toppers

Adorning the top of such a grand tree, there must be an equally grand tree-topper. Each year, Biltmore’s floral team envisions and then creates a tree-topper in keeping with the Christmas theme, the size of the tree, and the immense scale of the Banquet Hall.

“If we used an ordinary tree-topper,” said Cathy Barnhardt, Biltmore’s Floral Displays Manager, “it would be completely lost in that enormous space!”

Each member of the Floral team is responsible for the design and execution of the decorative them in several areas in Biltmore House—usually one of the elegant rooms on the First Floor, plus another section on upper or lower floors—and the team member assigned to the Banquet Hall has a big job ahead of her!

In 2011, Floral Designer Susan Partain created a beautiful Renaissance-style angel to top the big tree. From her fluttering wings to the rich fabric layers of her robe, Susan’s angel looked delicate, but had to be sturdy enough to survive a ride on the swaying tip of the tree as it was raised into position in the Banquet Hall. The angel passed the test with “flying colors!”

Two years later, Simone Bush, Biltmore Floral Designer and Wedding Consultant, drew on the idea of families coming together at the holidays, and the wonderful, whimsical ways in which their joy might be expressed, to create a charming, light-hearted tree-topper beribboned like a jester’s staff, delighting everyone who saw it atop the towering tree.

A new creation

For 2014, the theme is a A Vanderbilt Christmas. According to Cathy, “This year’s tree topper is a three-dimensional gilded globe star that is about three feet tall. It reflects a traditional vintage theme with glitter, tinsel, and beading.”

Be sure to look for the tree-topper as we raise the Banquet Hall tree on Wednesday, November 5, on your next visit during Christmas at Biltmore or Candlelight Christmas Evenings!

A Vanderbilt Christmas

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Biltmore’s archives are full of letters and documents detailing the lives of George and Edith Vanderbilt, their daughter, Cornelia, and many of their friends and family members who visited them at Biltmore.  Below are some of the Vanderbilts’ yuletide traditions…and even a glimpse of the food they enjoyed during the holidays.

How did our Christmas tradition begin?

Although George Vanderbilt moved into Biltmore House in October 1895, the house did not officially open to guests until Christmas Eve of that year.  Great efforts were made to ensure all (or most!) would be ready by this special day.  Mr. Vanderbilt was still a bachelor during the first Biltmore Christmas and his mother, Maria Louisa, presided as hostess. 

Correspondence between Mr. Vanderbilt and his staff indicates that planning was intensive and no detail was left unattended.  Managers debated which nearby county had the best holly and the most desirable mistletoe, while staff scouted for the perfect candidate for the Banquet Hall Christmas tree.

Mr. Chauncey Beadle, estate horticulturalist, writes estate manager, Mr. Charles McNamee:

“I quite agree with you that we should have a very large tree for this occasion; in fact, I think a twenty foot tree in that large Banquet Hall would be rather dwarfed.”

When Mr. Vanderbilt’s mother, several of his brothers and sisters and their spouses, and assorted nieces and nephews arrived, they were greeted in the Banquet Hall by a splendidly tall tree laden with gifts for estate workers.  At the foot of the tree was a table piled high with family gifts.  Because of this, the Banquet Hall has always been the focal point for Christmas celebrations in Biltmore House.  

A Family Gathering

The family and guests gathered around the 40-foot Banquet Hall table for elaborate dinners served both evenings.  Mr. Vanderbilt’s niece Gertrude kept a series of Dinner Books in which she recorded the seating arrangements of all of the parties and dinners she attended as a young woman, and she was one of the guests at the first Christmas dinner in Biltmore House. Gertrude kept two Dinner Books in 1895, and the Christmas meal at Biltmore House was the 193rd formal dinner that she attended that year.  In her diagram of the dinner, she listed 27 Vanderbilt family members.  It was said to be the largest gathering of the family since the death of William Henry Vanderbilt, George’s father, in 1885.

In addition to the grand meals and festive décor, stockings hung on mantles, plum puddings and mince pies were served, and George’s mother read “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” to the children.  It must have been a grand time — one article even stated that the family exchanged gilded and jeweled Christmas cards!

Christmas and New Year’s meals in Biltmore House, 1904

In 1904, George and Edith Vanderbilt were raising their 4-year-old daughter, Cornelia, in Biltmore House.  The 1904 Menu Book, kept by cook Esther Anderson, contains luncheon and dinner menus for Christmas Day and New Years Day.  Surprisingly, they are not the most elaborate meals included in the book.  The 1904 Christmas Day luncheon featured a fairly light menu that began with clear broth, followed by broiled oysters.

The Christmas Day luncheon entrée consisted of venison steak (very likely from the estate deer herd), served with string beans, potatoes and cauliflower.  The salad course consisted of roast partridge and salad.  Luncheon dessert consisted of apple tart, not surprising, since estate orchards produced over twenty varieties of apples. Coffee followed dessert and served as a separated course.

Christmas dinner began with Consommé Royale, a clear chicken broth thickened with tapioca and served with a savory garnish made from bullion, egg and herbs, poached in buttered molds, floating in the broth. A fish course of broiled Spanish mackerel accompanied by cucumber salad came next. 

The main course featured roast turkey and cranberries, served with potatoes, peas and celery.  The Vanderbilts ate turkey in one form or another on average every three days.  Mrs. Doris Johnson, whose daughter-in-law, Ellen, was a Biltmore House cook at the turn of the century, recalled that turkey and dressing were Mr. Vanderbilt’s favorite of all the things Ellen cooked, and it is very likely that turkey was indeed one of Mr. Vanderbilt’s favorite foods.  A salad of Virginia ham and spinach followed. Christmas dessert consisted of plum pudding, ice cream and cake.

The New Years Eve luncheon began with fish cutlets, followed by braised rabbits and lamb chops served with potatoes, beets and stuffed tomatoes. Chicken salad followed, and dessert consisted of apple tapioca pudding, followed by coffee.  New Years Eve dinner began with either purée of chickens or consommé, followed by the fish course consisting of mousse of bass. The mousse was followed by an entrée of mushroom patties, and a relevé consisting of filets of beef with potatoes, spinach and baked macaroni. Roast partridge accompanied the salad. 

New Years Eve dessert was Fanchonette, an “old-fashioned French cake, somewhat like a pie made with rough puff pastry and a pastry cream filling baked in a slow oven. After cooling, it is piped with meringue, sprinkled with sugar and baked until brown.   Coffee followed dessert, and midnight toasts no doubt welcomed the New Year!

Designing A Welcome Home

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Once you pass through the entrance way “Vestibule” into Biltmore House, you have entered a special place for Biltmore Floral Designer Mary Quirk.  This is the first space that guests see when coming into the home, like a foyer on a grand scale.  This year, Mary was responsible for the design of the Entrance Hall and Winter Garden.
Because the Vestibule has holiday decorations as well, connecting the two spaces was important from a design standpoint. 

“Molly and I worked together to make sure our plans were in harmony,” Mary said, describing how the two designers coordinated their décor so that guests would not feel an abrupt change as they moved between the Vestibule and the interior of Biltmore House. “I wanted to portray coziness upon entering a winter forest, so I used the same deciduous trees that you see in the Vestibule. Some of mine are in urns for a more formal touch, and I added sparkle with gold and silver ornaments.”  Other natural elements include a large grapevine tree with a fresh arrangement at its base and a large grapevine ball tied with sheer gold fabric. Mary added Asian honeysuckle twined through garlands to give the greenery more body and interest.

One of the major decorating challenges in this area is the breeze that sweeps through the massive front door when it’s opened for guests. Mary has to make everything secure so that nothing blows away.  Creating that signature ambiance in the evening is a challenge on breezy nights. “We’re trying battery-powered candles in some places near the entrance so that the candles stay lit during Candlelight Christmas Evenings and don’t blow out every time the door opens.”  It is that attention to every detail that creates Christmas magic in Biltmore House.   

Winter Garden of Biltmore House decorated for the holidays.In keeping with its original use as a conservatory setting to house exotic plants, the Winter Garden always features massive displays of poinsettias. Mary also used more deciduous trees and holly trees with berries to emphasize natural elements and bring the outdoors inside. “I grew up cutting pods and branches with my grandmother and spray painting them,” said Mary, “and we did some of that for Biltmore this year. I learned a lot from her, and I love having all this vast estate available to us for materials.”

Although Mary enjoys incorporating natural elements into her designs, she recognizes that all of the team members have different styles. “It’s a nice mix of people in the crew,” she said, “and each of us have preferences, from glitzy to natural and everything in between.” The designers rely on teamwork, especially since they all have multiple areas to decorate. 

In addition to the Entrance Hall and Winter Garden, Mary’s work can be seen in the Oak Sitting Room and at Antler Hill Village in The Creamery, Cedric’s Tavern, and the Winery.  “We are good resources for each other.”

Eugenia and Her Ornaments

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We are fortunate to have treasured stories from people who lived, worked or visited Biltmore throughout our history. These colorful recollections give us real clues to what life was like at the estate. They also serve as the foundation of stories we share with guests who visit us today. Eugenia Hallyburton Chandler shared one recollection of being a child on the estate at Christmas. Her story illustrates both her love of the beautiful holiday decorations and the candor of her youth!

For the youngest members of the estate, treats like special sweets, clothing, games and toys were standard gifts. Eugenia recalled the Christmas parties in the Banquet Hall; where there were “mounds of oranges . . . and this beautiful Christmas tree and I know they had gifts for all the kids.” One year Eugenia was given paper dolls as a gift from Edith Vanderbilt. And as children sometimes will do, she honestly replied that she didn’t like them and asked Edith to give them to someone else.

We have all wondered if that comment caught Edith by surprise, but Eugenia recalls she said “Well, Eugenia, what would you like?”  Eugenia replied, “That ball, right up there.” Pointing to the tree, she had her eyes set on a colorful, shiny glass ball hanging from the tree branches. Quotes like this next one tell us so much about the personality of Edith Vanderbilt. Eugenia remembered, “she called in Donohue [the butler] and she stripped that tree and gave those balls to the children. She knew what they liked.  Every time she went on a trip and came back after that, she would bring me some Christmas balls.”

Our design team enjoys remembering Eugenia and her beloved Christmas ornaments when they decorate the Banquet Hall tree each year. The team hangs hundreds of colorful balls on trees in the house, some inspired by the ones that Edith may have presented to the children. When she became an adult, Eugenia displayed her beloved collection in her home every year until an accident one holiday season. “I had some of the prettiest ones you ever saw until my cat pulled the tree over in the foyer and broke them all,” she shared.  While her story has a bit of a sad ending, we so enjoyed hearing about Eugenia’s fond Christmas memories of Biltmore and her ornaments.

A Designer’s Plan for Christmas

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For more than 20 years, Gloria Brank has been decorating Biltmore House for Christmas. In her role as Floral Department Supervisor, she’s also instrumental in organizing the design and installation of Christmas at Biltmore displays across the entire estate, including shops, restaurants, and Antler Hill Village & Winery.

“I’ve decorated almost every room in Biltmore House except Louis XV,” Gloria said, thinking back over all the planning sessions and themes she’s seen. “But I have the Library again this year, and it’s always my favorite.”

For Gloria, this year’s “Nature of Christmas” theme led her to look upward, to the beautiful ceiling canvas painted by Pelligrini that soars high overhead in George Vanderbilt’s lofty library. Known as The Chariot of Aurora, the painting symbolizes the coming of dawn and features angels and cherubs.

“As I thought about our theme,” Gloria explained, “I wanted to interpret the room with the angels announcing the birth of Christ.”  Gloria Brank stands in the Library of Biltmore House.

Gloria focused on the rich hues of the painting and the warm reds and dark walnut tones that characterize the Library to create an opulent, Renaissance-style decorative scheme that highlights the layers of color and texture throughout the room.  And while planning the design of her room took a lot of time, her primary focus was managing the process of decorating for the estate as a whole.  That task starts at the beginning of each year, just as decorations are coming down.

“So much of what we do is in the planning stages,” Gloria said. “We walk through Biltmore House in January while the decorations are still in place and we start thinking about the following year. We begin to get a core of an idea and we work with that, keeping it in mind while we’re thinking about what elements we have and what we might need to purchase or create.

“By May, we’re pretty set on what our rooms and areas will look like, and we work with our curators to locate existing screws and nail heads to see how we can implement our designs without damaging anything in Biltmore House—or making any new holes in the walls!

“In June, we go over all the logistics, like where power outlets are located and how many power strips we’ll need. All the tree and garland lights are on timers so that our Candlelight Christmas Evening hosts don’t have to worry about getting each room glowing at the appropriate time. After that, we focus on creating silk arrangements and special decorations and adornments—and getting all that Christmas décor hidden away inside the house until we’re ready to start decorating in October.”

Inspired By A Song

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“I guess I’m just not a poinsettia person,” Lucinda Ledford said, “nor an amaryllis person, either. That’s why I went in for so many roses.” Lucinda’s affection for roses may have earned her the name “Rose Queen” from her team members in Biltmore’s Floral Department, but that’s okay with her. “I’m still in awe of Christmas at Biltmore,” Lucinda continued. “Everything is so beautiful and there’s so much choice—it’s overwhelming!”

With just seven months under her belt, Lucinda is the newest designer on Biltmore's design team and this is her first time to get up close and personal with the holiday decorating process.

“It was wonderful to partner with Susan Partain on the Music Room,” Lucinda said of her experience with another floral designer who’s been part of the team for many years. “She was so knowledgeable, and it was a great learning experience. We took our theme from The Holly and The Ivy Christmas carol and worked in lots of natural elements, with plenty of reds and greens, just like the song describes.”

Some of the greenery that Susan and Lucinda used was taken from trees and shrubs on the estate, just as the Vanderbilts and their staff might have done in 1895. Biltmore’s floral team has “cutting privileges” in the gardens and among the trees, and they take their job seriously, being careful not to overcut branches or harm fragile plantings.

Lucinda Ledford decorates a Christmas tree in the Damask Room.

For the Damask Room, Lucinda dreamed up a design that reflected what this year’s theme meant to her personally. “Christmas is all about family and friends,” she said, “so to decorate the tree, I collected lots and lots of picture frames and put snapshots in them. I tried to find candid shots of the Vanderbilt family, and Cornelia Cecil and her sons. In one of their travel photos, Mr. Vanderbilt is making a funny face while everyone else looks serious.”

To add natural elements that also worked with this year's “Nature of Christmas” theme, Lucinda used floral touches composed of dark oxblood red roses and fresh greenery. She completed the warm, welcoming look for this guest bedroom by including a candy tray featuring sweets that were popular in the late 1800s. Lucinda searched online for different candies from that era, then printed the wrappers and made up the candy bars so the treats would look authentic.  It is those extra details that make these holiday designs so unique.

“When guests come through in awe,” Lucinda said of her decorating experience this first year, “it lets you know you did it right!”

The Making of Christmas at Biltmore

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Each year at this time, signs of Christmas start to show up around the estate.  A tree here, a beautiful wreath there….all magically appear for guests to enjoy.   But behind all of this magic is a dedicated team of creative designers who are hard at work.  Every ornament, arrangement and yard of fabric is selected precisely for its intended location and specifically for that year.  The imagination and expertise of this team seems endless and their enthusiasm knows no bounds.


With that endless creativity comes a long list of supplies required to decorate America’s largest home and surrounding buildings on the estate.  From trees to bows, and countless ornaments in between, below are the Biltmore-sized trimmings for this holiday season.

Trees

A combination of fresh cut Fraser fir and artificial trees are used inside Biltmore House for fire safety and the protection of the collection. Designers also use potted holly trees, deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs as decoration, both inside and outside. 

  • The 2013 celebration boasts 56 decorated Christmas trees inside Biltmore House.
  • The largest tree inside Biltmore House is the Vanderbilt traditional 35-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall.
  • A lighted 55-foot-tall Norway spruce with other evergreens decorates the front lawn of Biltmore House.
  • A total of 58 additional decorated Christmas trees are at other estate locations, including the Winery, Inn on Biltmore Estate, Antler Hill Village and restaurants.

Lights and Candles

There are around 30,000 lights and 150 candles inside Biltmore House. Over 130,000 LED and mini lights are found around the estate.  The Front Lawn tree features 45,000 lights and lighting accents are placed at the base of the poplar trees lining the front lawn.  Three hundred luminaries line the driveway and Esplanade in front of Biltmore House.

Ornaments

Five hundred gift boxes, 500 ornaments and 500 electric lights decorate the Banquet Hall Tree. There are 12,000 ornaments used on the other trees inside Biltmore House, and another 10,000 used around the estate.

Poinsettias and Other Blooming Plants

There are traditional red poinsettias, along with amaryllis, Christmas cactus, orchids, peace lilies, cyclamen, begonias, and kalanchoe in the displays.  Around 1,000 blooming plants are used during the season inside Biltmore House, along with several hundred more in the other estate facilities.

Wreaths

Wreaths are made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, ornamented with golden arborvitae, holly, or other natural materials such as twigs and cones.  Artificial bases are decorated with ornaments, berries, silk flowers and ribbon.  Over 360 fresh wreaths and sprays along with 130 permanent botanicals are found around the estate during the season.

Kissing Balls

Guests will find 130 orbs made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, or made of dried and faux materials are found all across the estate.

Garlands

Each season, designers use 5,000 feet of fresh evergreen garlanding of mixed white pine and Fraser fir. The garlands are replaced weekly to maintain a fresh look and fragrance for our guests.  Silk garlands add another 1,200 feet in Biltmore House and around 1,500 feet in other areas.

Ribbons and Bows

Biltmore House features 500 ribbons, while another 500 are used at other estate venues.  Bows are made from narrow cording to 8-inch-wide ribbons of velvets, metallics, satins, burlap and printed cottons.

68 Trees in One House? Of Course!

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Wondering what it takes to decorate Biltmore for the holidays?

It’s a study in arithmetic and herculean effort. Biltmore House and all of the buildings around the estate command a team experienced in wrangling trees, lights, candles, ornaments, poinsettias, wreaths, kissing balls, garlands, ribbons and bows – though not necessarily in that order. Read on, and just for fun, keep your calculator handy.

Trees

We use a combination of fresh cut Fraser firs and artificial trees for fire safety and protection of the collection in Biltmore House. We also use live nursery plants in the various areas of the house.

• The 2012 celebration boasts 68 Christmas trees inside Biltmore House – the most ever on record!

• The largest tree inside Biltmore House is the 35-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall.

• A lighted 65-foot-tall Norway spruce anchors the front lawn of Biltmore House.

• A total of 55 additional decorated Christmas trees are located across the estate, including the Winery, Inn on Biltmore Estate, Antler Hill Village and our restaurants.

Lights and candles

There are around 30,000 lights in Biltmore House, with around 125 candles. About 125,000 mini lights twinkle around the estate. Around 45,000 lights illuminate the Front Lawn tree in front of the house, and “up” lighting accents the poplar trees lining the front lawn. Three hundred luminaries line the driveway and Esplanade in front of Biltmore House.

Ornaments

We use 500 wrapped gift boxes, 500 ornaments and 500 electric lights to decorate the Banquet Hall Tree. We use around 12,000 ornaments on the other trees inside Biltmore House, and that many again around the estate, for a total of 25,000 or more.

Poinsettias and other blooming plants

We use mostly red poinsettias with some white and a few marbled and pink. In total, we place around 1,000 blooming plants throughout Biltmore House along with several hundred more in the other estate facilities.

Wreaths

Our wreaths are made of fresh white pine, Fraser fir, boxwood, holly or artificial bases decorated with dried flowers, silk flowers and other ornamentation. We place 360 fresh wreaths and sprays around the estate during the season, along with 130 artificial or silk.

Kissing Balls

Around 130 are made of white pine and Fraser fir, placed all across the estate through the season.

Garlands

Fresh garlands are made of white pine and Fraser fir. We change them weekly to keep them fresh for our guests. We use 5,000 feet during the season. Silk, dried and artificial garlands add another 1,200 feet in Biltmore House and around 1,500 feet in other areas.

Ribbons and bows

We use 500 inside Biltmore House with that many again in the ancillary areas. From narrow cording to 8-inch-wide ribbons, we decorate with velvets, metallics, satins, burlap and printed cottons.

About the photo

The Tapestry Gallery in Biltmore House boasts six Christmas trees this year!