Wednesday in Wyoming - December 28, 2022

 

It must have been fun to be a guest at the Historic Governor's Mansion and find your room decorated for the holiday. How often do you find a tree waiting for you when you spend the night with friends or family?

As 2022 comes to an end, I want to thank you for visiting my blog and wish you a new year filled with health, happiness, and everything you hold most dear.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 21, 2022

 

Doesn't this look festive? I wonder if this is what the residents at the Historic Governor's Mansion left for Santa on his rounds. If so, he probably wanted to linger there.

However you celebrate Christmas, I hope it's a joyous day for you.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 14, 2022

 

Is your kitchen decorated for Christmas? Given how much time must have been spent in the Historic Governor's Mansion kitchen preparing for festive dinners, it's no surprise that the staff wanted to make their room special.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 7, 2022

 

It's the season to deck the halls, and the Historic Governor's Mansion in Cheyenne does that exceptionally well.

The entire house, from the entrance hallway to the children's playroom in the attic to the fallout shelter in the basement (a reminder of the Cold War) are filled with festive decorations. 

As you can tell, it's a beautiful place to visit, particularly at this time of the year. That's why I plan to feature pictures from it for this month's Wednesday in Wyoming posts.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 30, 2020

 

It's hard to believe that another year is ending and that this will be my final Wednesday in Wyoming post. What a year it's been!

To end this extraordinary year, I decided to include a series of French postcards with wishes for both a merry Christmas and a happy new year. The postcards were a gift from a friend who knows I'm a Francophile.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! May 2021 be a healthier, happier year for all of us.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 23, 2020

 

How often do you see angels made of burlap? This one caught my eye more years ago than I'm going to admit when my husband and I were shopping at the Nuremberg Christmas market during his deployment in Germany. It's still one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

Merry Christmas! 

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 16, 2020

 

Everyone needs at least one teddy bear. Right? And every good teddy bear needs a Santa suit. Right?

I'm proud to say that I made both the bear and his suit and that he sits in the kitchen to make me smile every December.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 9, 2020

 

Santa on a carousel? Why not!

A friend who knows how much I love carousels and that I contracted an incurable case of carousel fever during the International Year of the Carousel (2000) found this holiday-themed merry-go-round for me.

It's so cute that I keep it on display all year long. Ho, ho, ho!

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 2, 2020

 

This month's Wednesday in Wyoming posts are staying close to home -- my home, that is -- as I share some of my favorite holiday decorations.

We all want to feel welcome, don't we? That's why when my sister-in-law showed me this design, I knew it was one I had to turn into a needlepoint pillow.

Welcome!

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 25, 2019

It's Christmas Day -- the perfect day to share this simple but meaningful reminder of what we're celebrating.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 18, 2019

Another wish for peace on earth. Oh, how I second that!

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 11, 2019

This is one house I drive by every year, simply because I love the fact that their decorations are a nativity scene, complete with Wise Men as well as shepherds, rather than Santas and snowmen.

Clearly, they understand the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Wednesday in Wyoming - December 4, 2019

This month, as we prepare for Christmas, I'm going to feature outdoor decorations that I saw in various parts of Cheyenne.

This one, outside a church, has a timeless message, doesn't it?

Wednesday in Wyoming -- December 27, 2017

For my final Wednesday in Wyoming post of 2017, I bring you Cheyenne's iconic train depot with its holiday-colored clock tower.

I hope this year has been a good one for you and that many of your dreams will come true in 2018.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- December 20, 2017

Two weeks ago I showed you an elegant tree from the Historic Governors' Mansion. This one, part of the Paul Smith Children's Village's "Thousand Faces of Santa" display, may not be elegant, but there's no denying that it's fun. Where else would you find a tree decorated with nothing but Santas?

Merry Christmas! I wish you and your loved ones the most joyous of holidays as we celebrate the true reason for the season.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- December 13, 2017

It's the time of the year when people decorate the exterior of their houses with lights, inflatable snowmen, and other holiday-related decorations, but how many decorate whole hillsides with lighted reindeer?

I don't know about you, but the sight of that herd makes me smile and reminds me that Christmas isn't far away.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- December 6, 2017

Today's St. Nicholas Day, the perfect day to start my holiday-themed blog posts.  This year I'm going to focus on decorations in Cheyenne.

One of the most beautiful Christmas displays in the city is at the Historic Governors' Mansion. Each year they feature "Tinsel Through Time," an exhibit that showcases the differences in tree trimmings over the years.  But there's more than trees on display -- much more. Even the kitchen and laundry chute are decorated.

If you've ever toured Tinsel Through Time, you understand why it takes literally months to decorate the entire mansion. What incredible attention to detail!

This room features an early twentieth century tree, complete with boxes of animal crackers used as ornaments. I like the old-fashioned sled and wicker chair, and of course the idea of oranges being a special treat reminds me of how much has changed in a hundred years.

But some things haven't changed, including the love that makes this such a special season.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- December 30, 2015

The year is almost over, but the celebrations at Fort Laramie continue.  I thought you might enjoy seeing this tree.  While similar to the one the soldiers had in their barracks (last week's post), it's obviously more elaborate, as you would expect from people with more time and money at their disposal.

Here's a closer view that also highlights the fancy card and letter holder on the wall.  Life was definitely easier for the officers and their families than it was for the soldiers.

However you celebrated Christmas, I hope it was a joyous time for you and that you're looking forward to 2016.  I send my wishes for a year filled with peace and happiness.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- December 23, 2015

For the last couple weeks, I've enjoyed showing you the beautifully decorated tables at the post surgeon's and officers' homes.  Life was different for the enlisted men.  They ate at Spartan tables, and you don't see any candy-topped cakes here.

And, yet, they did their best to decorate their quarters.

The tree looks almost as if it were a tumbleweed.  (Perhaps it was.)  Even with only a few gingerbread men hanging from it, I imagine this humble tree helped bring the joy of Christmas to the soldiers' lives.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

Wednesday in Wyoming -- December 16, 2015

Although the decorations at this Fort Laramie house aren't as elaborate as the ones we saw last week, the table is still festive with its evergreen centerpiece and candy-topped cake.