Ten community groups and individuals gathered Tuesday morning at Eden State Garden’s Wesley House Mansion to ready the iconic grand dame for Christmas.

DEBORAH WHEELER @WaltonSunDeb

It’s that time of year, and it takes a village to ready one elegant lady for the holidays.

Ten community groups and individuals gathered Tuesday morning at Eden State Garden’s Wesley House Mansion to ready the iconic grand dame for Christmas.

The mansion was a buzz of activity as each group or individual took a room or area and decorated it in a special theme.

Destin Woman’s Club members busily wrapped boxes and garnished them with bows, giving a nostalgic first impression with a “Victorian Christmas” theme to the home’s entry hall.

To the right of the entry, the Historical Point Washington Association was lending a “Festive Feathered Friends” look to the library, as members have done for the past eight years.

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Across the hall, the Green Thumb Garden Club took the parlor for the 15th year to the “Ms. Peacock and Mr. Plaid in the Parlor” theme.

Behind the library, the dining room, decked out in gold was receiving a “Blessed Holiday Season” look from the ladies of Impact 100 of Northwest Florida.

On the sun porch, Karin Anderson of Drift of 30A lent the porch a “Home for Christmas” look.

Taking the stairs to the second floor, Seagrove Garden Club used the upstairs sitting room to give a salute to our Armed Forces with a red, white, and blue “American Christmas Tradition” theme.

In the blue bedroom, first-year participant Tricia Willis of Tricia Willis Design went traditional with “All Hearts Come Home for Christmas.”

The children of South Walton Montessori Academy, for the fourth year, made all the decorations to adorn the children’s bedroom with an authentic look of “A Children’s Christmas.”

Jacque Wright of Bungalow Home and Life adorned the red bedroom with “The Nutcracker Suite” theme.

The Premier Property Group’s Tara Stacey lent “A Child’s Christmas Dream” look to the pink bedroom.

Decorating the mansion for Christmas began around 1982 when Ollie Sue Butler started the tradition on Christmas Eve. Butler was a member of one of South Walton’s first families.

The tradition was later moved to the Saturday before Christmas.

In those early years, fresh greens, a live tree, scones and lanterns with burning candles were used with no artificial lighting to keep the Victorian era look real.

“Back In the day, no one cared about Northwest Florida,” said Friends of Eden President and decorating Chairperson Marianne Burbach. “At one time, this house was even offered for sale.”

But, these days, as owners of the mansion, the State of Florida Parks Service allows nothing live inside the mansion that could potentially damage the interior.

The annual candlelight tour of the decorated mansion that is open to the public has been scheduled for Dec. 16.

“It’s a fun thing to do,” said Burbach. “We have had 1,000 people lined up to take the tour. It’s quite a tradition for families. People in the community feel that Eden belongs to them.”

Burbach has been involved with the decorating of Eden since the founding of the Friends of Eden in 1992.

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