Yesterday, I noticed my mother had posted on Facebook that she was going to start decorating the Music Tree and get out the carolers. Alone. The pangs of guilt certainly hit me. I was tired and had been fighting off a nasty head cold for almost a week, but I didn’t like the idea of her doing things like that alone. These were a part of our family tradition. Okay, so I must confess that I didn’t run over to Pinehurst right away, but I did go. As I walked in the door, she said to me, “The carolers are ready to go out if you want to help.” I didn’t jump up and down or get as excited as I might have 20 years ago, but without question, I went to the landing and starting arranging. The music was once again playing (I think I may have even heard a muppet or two!). Placing each of these carolers in their appropriate space and laughing with my mom about their silly faces was a perfect moment. It was tradition.

While this is certainly a quieter season here at Pinehurst, we do love having guests at this time of year. There is something so warm and welcoming about this big old house when there is snow on the ground and a fire in the fireplace. If you haven’t been here at this time of year you are most certainly missing out. We really do love sharing our traditions with our guests and hearing about theirs.

We want to wish a very happy holiday season to you all, and hope that you enjoy sharing your family’s traditions as much as we do.

Opening up these old boxes is always fun and takes twice the time it should due to stories about when we got certain ornaments, or noticing the dates and stories on the newspaper used to wrap the decorations, or simply stopping to sing along with Kermit and Miss Piggy. We all have these different holiday traditions. At Pinehurst we decorate two trees. The larger one as you walk in to the main house is full of our family ornaments and decor. It’s a stroll down memory lane for the Sandstrom family, but our guests seem to love it too, when they notice that “we have that ornament too!” We do have a smaller tree on the landing in the main house as well, full of musical notes, instruments and more. Music is one of the biggest treats of the holiday season, and this small tree just serves as a reminder to all of us to keep singing along! Under this charming small tree, we take special time to arrange all of Nancy’s caroler collection in the perfect choir. There are plenty of other touches throughout the Inn such as Santa Claus figures along the mantle and garlands dressing the windows.

The most important thing about all of this decorating is spending the time with family and enjoying the moment. Please be sure to take time with your friends and family this year and continue all of those old traditions, and try to think of some new ones too!

Off to cut down our Christmas trees…

Madeline Island Museum, just a short walk from the ferry dock.

Once you have made your way across the Chequamegon Bay on the Ferry to Madeline Island many people wonder what they should do next. In a previous post we mentioned having a meal at Lotta’s Lakeside Cafe, which is of course a culinary delight including local foods and a fabulous wine list.

But there is so much more. Just a few steps from the ferry dock you’ll find the Madeline Island Museum. This small museum will show you so much about the history of Madeline Island and the Village of La Pointe. Did you know that La Pointe was founded before Bayfield? There are amazing fur trading exhibit, Ojibwe exhibits and a wonderful short film for all to watch with music provided by the performers at Big Top Chautauqua.

What’s next?

The bridge over the lagoon at the Madeline Island Town Park

Why not drive or bike out to the Madeline Island Town Park? Here you will find some of the most beautiful beach on the Island. The water at the town park is generally quite shallow and perfect for the kids to play.

There is also a breathtakingly beautiful lagoon perfect for canoeing and birdwatching – there is a certain serenity and peacefulness in this area that truly takes you away from the outside world.  The other great thing about this lagoon is the warmth of the water. If you are not the type to enjoy the “refreshing” coolness of Lake Superior, try the lagoon!

There are many other wonderful places to explore on Madeline Island – the shops, the state park with its brownstone cliffs, the golf course and the restaurants. These are just a few of the things that our family loves about Madeline.  Most of all it is a great place to escape to and enjoy the history and beauty of this area that we are so very lucky to call home.

Enjoy history? Check out the house shows. Riding the Wind, the most familiar house show, is a beautiful historical musical perspective of Bayfield and the Apostle Islands, all to the backdrop of historic, beautiful photos. The music is performed by Blue Canvas Orchestra, a group of some of the most talented musicians we’ve heard.

The schedule for the summer also includes visiting performers such as Bela Fleck, Joan Baez, Brandi Carlile, Gaelic Storm and more. Check out the season schedule.

Big Top Chautauqua – a real taste of Bayfield, Wisconsin.