HAL-LELUJAH!

Governor's Mansion goes Gothic in Christmas decor

The Arkansas Governor's Mansion's holiday decorators went above and beyond this year. First lady Susan Hutchinson led a sneak-peek media tour on Nov. 17.

Throughout the public areas of the mansion is a veritable wonderland of dressed-up greenery, accented with a wealth of angelic figurines and nativity scenes. The 30,000-square-foot mansion and hall features an elegant, gold-accented tree in the Grand Foyer; a family of flocked trees, complete with realistic-looking redbirds, in the atrium; and, in the Lower Atrium area, a clever marriage of the fall season with the holiday season in the form of trees trimmed with leaves in fall colors. The more whimsical decorations include Barry, the singing reindeer, and an Old World coffee shop overlooked by a painting of the Jolly Old Elf himself.

But the mansion's biggest Christmas decoration project was still underway -- the transformation of the Grand Hall into a Gothic cathedral. Artist Tim Morris and a team of workers were busy this day, transforming cardboard, Styrofoam and rope into wood and metal; painting life-size, trumpet-blowing angels, and testing out the pipe organ. This, Hutchinson explained, is a tribute to George Frideric Handel, composer of the beloved Christmastime oratorio Messiah.

The transformation is the work of some 30 volunteers.

What is the first lady's favorite spot? "I'm going to enjoy the cathedral, I know I am," Hutchinson said. "It brings all the emotions, I think, of Christmas into one place."

Guests will have a chance to enjoy the mansion's Christmas decor during a free open house, 2-4 p.m. Dec. 4. A Dec. 9 Tribute to Handel concert, and a week of Christmas High Teas, Dec. 12-16, are also planned. Tickets to these events are $50 each. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit friendsofthemansion.org.

-- Story and photos by

Helaine R. Williams

High Profile on 11/27/2016

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