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One of my favorite
things to do at Christmas time is to
stroll the streets of Cape May and West
Cape May peeking into the windows of the
Bed and Breakfasts, hotels and guesthouses to see how
tall their tree is or how many of them
there are. Is the dining room table set?
Is it formal Victorian or wonderful
whimsy? Last year CapeMay.com ventured
into a handful of Bed and Breakfasts for an inside
look and our Art Director Stephanie
Madsen and I decided to do the same this
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The wonderful thing we
discovered is that Cape May has
something for everyone’s taste. Each
accommodation has its own creative twist
when it comes to tackling the O
Tenenbaum
question. Take
the
Albert Stevens Inn on Myrtle Avenue
in
West Cape May, for example. As soon
as the door opens, a Christmas tree that
reaches all the way to the second floor
staircase comes into view. |
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The beautiful thing
about this welcoming tree is that it
puts you into the mood ASAP
and draws you into the parlor where another
tree shines brightly in the corner by
the fireplace. It doesn’t take much
persuasion before you find yourself
sitting on the sofa in front of the fire
admiring the intricate Victorian
ornaments, frosted fruit and tiny candlelights which decorate the tree.
It’s a more whimsical spirit which comes
into play in the dining room. The tree
is filled with colorful ornaments which
remind us of simpler times. Santa sits
in the corner, next to the tree and I
can just imagine him watching over the
guests as they sit down to breakfast.
It’s a homey feeling at the Albert
Stevens Inn. Mantle pieces, archways and
the sideboard are filled with greenery,
warm lights and nostalgic trinkets. Yes,
Stephanie and I can both see waking up
to the smell of freshly roasted coffee
and breakfast cooking in the kitchen. |
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The mood is more sedate at the
Angel of
the Sea Bed and Breakfast on Trenton
Avenue. A well-lit fireplace and a
stately Christmas tree greet us as we
escape from a wicked Nor’easter outside.
Angels, appropriately enough, are the
theme for this tree and mantle piece.
They stand guard over the fireplace and
pose, as though in mid-flight, around
the tree. Greens and red poinsettias
complete the décor and guests checking
in are lucky enough to arrive in time
for tea which is being served in the
dining room just adjacent to the parlor.
Even the severe photographs of
Victorians hanging in the dining room are softened by the red
flowers which garland the frames on the
wall. Stephanie and I must resist the
temptation to sit down at one of the
tables and order ourselves a nice hot
cup of tea. Duty calls. |
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At
The Columbia House,
on Ocean Street, the mood changes with
each room. An elfish gnome on the
mantlepiece waits for us to enter the
foyer and watches us
as go from room to discover a different
delight in each suite. Whereas red
poinsettias dominated Angel of the Sea,
Columbia House features a foyer decked
in white garland and white poinsettias,
complete with a fireplace flanked with
the poinsettias and two adorable
snowman standing sentry by the fire.
Astonishingly, they seem impervious to
the heat. We’re the ones melting away. A
small table-top tree sits in the corner
of the ground floor suite, decked with
gold ribbon, tiny white lights and
lovely, feathery white angel sitting
atop the tree. |
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Upstairs (another one of those elfish
gnomes is peeping through the staircase
as we ascend), we are drawn to the suite
at the end of the hall where the
fireplace glows. A garland of greenery
bedecked with tiny, white twinkle lights,
white tropical flowers and Victorian
ornaments hangs from the mirror above
the mantle. And isn’t that a gnome
sitting guard on the mantelpiece? A
tiny, four-foot tree with white lights
and white pearl garland stands in the
corner. Oh yes, we can see ourselves
sitting by the fire sipping cocoa,
exchanging winks at those peevish elves. |
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 Like
a child, I run straight into the foyer
at
The Dormer House on Columbia Avenue and
up the stairs to see just how high their
Christmas tree really is. Pretty darn
high. I can’t see the tree top. Up the
stairs I bound to see where the tree
goes – to the second floor landing and
there she is – a beautiful golden angel
all by herself looking as though she’s
about to break into an aria. Back down
the stairs I go to look a bit more
closely at the ornaments. Stars, horses,
lacey umbrellas, golden snowflakes,
colorful Christmas balls adorn the tree.
Garland lit with tiny white lights runs
from the door, near the stairway along
the mantelpiece and over to the next
doorway. |
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A white sea glass reindeer stands poised
on the mantelpiece as though listening
for sleigh bells in the distance. And
above the mantle clock is a large
beveled mirror with a decorative wreath
hanging from it. Meanwhile, Stephanie is
mesmerized by the archway, which
innkeeper Dennis Doherty built himself
to match the original
woodwork on the stairway. Greenery lines
the arch. Warm lights, white pearls and
silky white ribbon soften the greenery
and welcome the visitor into the lush
parlor where another fireplace calls us
to come on in and have a
nice hot cup of tea, poured from the
vintage silver tea pot. Much as we’d
like to sit a spell, we have many inns
to visit before we rest. |
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The sun has come out on the morning we
visit the
Primrose Inn Bed and Breakfast on Lafayette
Street. Innkeeper Sally Denithorne’s
full-sized poodle Coco has figured out
how to open the door for us, so we soon
find ourselves in a bright, sunny dining
room with the table set and ready as
though breakfast were to be served at
any minute. Her other poodle Beau peeks
from the corner of the table. He is
careful not to knock over any of the
Christmas decorations on the tall
whimsical tree in the corner of this
cheery room. Cookies, candies, and
candied-fruit brighten the tree and
bring a smile to Beau’s face. From here
we go into the parlor and there is a
pedestal tree standing near the
fireplace. |
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It is adorned with shells as is the
mantelpiece and the wreath above it. Many of the shells were found on our
beaches, says Sally. After a storm is
the best time, she says. And so no one
is forgotten, a Giving Tree is placed on
the front porch with a sign on the porch
rail reading; “Bring hats and mittens
and attach to tree.” They will be
gathered later and donated to the needy
children of Southern, NJ. |
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Simplicity is the key to the décor at
the
Rhythm of the Sea
Bed and Breakfast and is in
keeping with the craftsman-style theme
of this Beach Avenue inn. The front room
is large and airy and there is much to
take in, still the eye goes straight to
the fire place and the cozy arrangement
of a couch in front of it to sit back
and relax. The mantle is filled with
simple greens, shells and rich golden
ornaments. A touch of Europe is evident
throughout the inn but especially so in
the wooden Christmas Candle Pyramid
sitting on the table behind the couch.
How soothing it is to stand in this
lovely room surrounded by a view of
the sea at nearly every turn. |
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At the Mason Cottage on Columbia Avenue
thoughts of Dickens and Tiny Tim come to
mind when walking into the dining room –
table for 10, could be 12 with just a
couple more chairs added to the head of
the table – Christmas goose and Figgie
pudding. I can see Monsieur Cratchit
carving the goose now. This table, by
the way, was made especially for the
Mason Cottage many, many years ago. After
dinner (or breakfast as is the case at a
Bed and Breakfast) guests can meander into the parlor
near the front entrance where a
majestic Christmas tree stands in front
of the parlor's floor-to-ceiling window
for all to see. A sofa, complete with
holly pillows, says come sit and stay a
while. And beware of the mistletoe
hanging from each doorway
– a
Christmas smooch is just around the
corner. |
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There is much
thought and loving detail which goes
into the Christmas décor at
Saltwood
House on Jackson Street beginning with
the Old Glory Christmas table-top tree
in the front parlor. There is so much to
take in here, it's hard to know where to
look first - shall we examine the Santy
Claus plaques hung on the stairway,
first? Or maybe, we should take a peek
at the bookcase or beneath the end table
where mischievous figurines peek at us
from their perch. Little villages have
been carefully staged throughout the
front parlor, the dining room and even
innkeeper Don Schweikert's quarters. Our
favorite figurines are the Santa Chefs
in the kitchen, rotund, jolly and each
crammed with Christmas treats amid their
aprons. |
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Susan and
Stephanie at the Columbia
House. Photo taken by Jim Zeitler. |
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So,
that's our tour and we hope you enjoyed
it as much as we did. It's nice to know
that people still take the time to
decorate with such thought and care and
we can't help but think how lucky the
guests who stay in these historic houses
are. Hey - why not treat yourself or
someone you love to a night in Cape May? Hospitality Night
(Dec. 7-8) is just around the corner,
you know. Otherwise, may dreams of
beautifully decorated inns dance in your
head. Happy Holidays from those of us at
CapeMay.com to all of you. |
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