CityView Magazine

Facts & Figures The main tree is 34 feet tall. There are 41 trees in the house and 58 more across the estate. Decorating the house takes three weeks. There are around 12,000 ornaments in the house and 25,000 lights. There are 1500 poinsettias in the house through the season and several hundred more estatewide. There are around 1000 bows from narrow metallic cording to 6" wide red velvets or tapestry. The record for estate visitation is 10,487 which happened on November 29, 2002. Their busiest days every year are typically the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. As in years past, Christmas at Biltmore will feature 100 decorated Christmas trees; hundreds of wreaths and bows; hundreds of poinsettias; 30,000 lights in Biltmore House with another 150,000 lights used around the estate; 10,000 feet of fresh garland; and more than 25,000 ornaments. friends, making sure each year that their staff had a wonderful holiday, too. "We have receipts from Mrs. Vander- bilt from F.A.O. Schwartz toy store in New York where she bought jumping jacks, balls, and wagons for the staff's children. There are also ledgers show- ing where she notes the giſts she bought each child so she would not duplicate the giſt the next year. There are also re- ceipts from local Asheville merchants showing where she bought ice cream, candy, and fresh fruit for the staff and family party. Fresh fruit was a huge treat in the mountains during the winter months. There is a newspaper account that states wagon loads of holly and bar- rels of mistletoe were being dropped off to families that lived and worked on the estate," said Barnhardt. Keeping with the tradition of wagons of holly and barrels of mistletoe, you will find plenty of both when you visit the Biltmore. Each year there is a differ- ent theme and this year it is "Christmas from Around the World", with rooms depicting countries the Vanderbilts vis- ited. The entry hall is decorated like an English Country house, heavily draped with garlands of greenery and holly and with mistletoe strategically placed throughout. Decorations are not just put anywhere on the trees (approxi- mately 25,000 to 30,000 decorations are used in all); Barnhardt and her crew have a system. The shiny bright solid ornaments that can catch the sparkle from the lights are put on the inside of the tree while the more elaborate orna- ments are hung nearer the front. "We are also featuring Santa Claus or the giſt bearer of each country," said Barn- hardt. The Morning Salon is decorated in the French Country Style accented with natural elements. Grapevine is en- twined through all of the garlands and the giſt bearer is Père Noël, who is car- rying a grape harvesting basket. Ger- many is featured in the very masculine billiard room, where Father Christmas is the featured giſt bearer. Hand-blown German ornaments stand out on this tree. Barnhardt admits these are her fa- vorite ornaments. "There is just some- thing about the colors; every year I look forward to seeing them again," she said. 32 | Food & Wine • 2011

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