For the past 9 years, the Inn at Virginia Tech has hosted Fashions for Evergreens, a Christmas Tree competition. Established in 2006, the event enourages local businesses and organizations to come up with a theme, and create a professional, designer quality Christmas tree. The trees are on display throughout the holiday season, and members of the public get to vote for their favorite tree.
After enjoying a Raspberry Martini at the Continental Divide Lounge, my friends and I took a tour of the trees.
The atmosphere was magical, filled with light and color.
Prices Fork Elementary School’s theme was a Merry Mocha Christmas
The Virginia Quilt Museum went with a blue theme
Matt Hagan Outdoors celebrated outdoor sports
The Linus Project, an organization that hand makes blankets for critically ill children, adorned their entry with blankets
Radford Health and Rehab decorated their beautiful tree with photos of residents in their younger days
Sew Biz covered their tree with hand crafted ornaments
What a fun evening, and we definitely felt the magic of the season.
Before I close, let me tell you just a little bit about the Inn. Located on the campus of Virginia Tech, The Inn is designed in the Collegiate Gothic style and like the other buildings on campus, is made with Hokie Stone.
Hokie Stone is dolomite, a mineral found in the Appalachian Mountains (pronounced Ap – uh – latch – uhn) and is prevalent in Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Virginia Tech’s quarry operations produce some 50 tons of Hokie Stone per week, or about 2,500 tons per year. Individual stonemasons shape about a ton of stone a day
Hope you’ve found time to enjoy the magic of the season!
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 
Very cool post and images Laurie 🙂
Hi Joe, Are you getting used to me being so behind in commenting? 🙂
Thanks for always being here! I cannot wait to meet up … THIS year for sure!
Great looking trees Laurie – and that Raspberry Martini looked mighty fine too! I particularly liked the idea of hanging photos of the residents in their younger days on the trees for the old folk. We old folk get to the stage when we long for someone to know that once we were ‘mighty fine on the eyes’ 🙂 Merry Christmas my friend! xoxo
Hello Pauline! I’m finally checking in and responding to messages. So good to hear from you! I received your package, but have not opened it yet. Saving it for a quiet moment, so I can savor it!
That Raspberry Martini was delicious!
Your comment about wanting someone to know we were mighty fine, and contributed great things to the world, was spot on. I loved that tree!
Merry Christmas to you, dear Pauline!
It’s a bit magical to photograph trees with twinkling lights. I think though, that I still prefer the woodland trees under the twinkling stars of night. 🙂
Yes, the trees in the moonlight with the stars above …can’t beat that!
The Radford tree has my vote. When do they announce the winner?
I’ve been searching for the winners, without success! From the comments on this post, the Radford tree was the winner
Pleasing trees, I would like to see this. Thanks also for the techie bit at the end 😀
I’m so glad you liked the ending. It really was quite different from the rest of the post, but I too, think it’s interesting. The campus is so beautiful!
Nice place mate, one day..
OMG – how could anyone possibly decide on which to vote for?!!!
I know! They all looked so pretty … magical!
That’s just what I was thinking! Each new tree theme illuminated just took my heart.
Thanks for the lesson on Hokie Stone from the Ap – uh – latch – uhn Mountains, LB. My hiking buddy and I have two more jaunts to finish the Pennsylvania portion of the trail, then we will begin either north or south. Eventually we’ll get to your great state and I’lll get to walk on those Hokie Stones. I hope there aren’t as many to climb as there were in Rocksylvania.
I love that you and your friend are hiking the entire PA section of the AT. When you get to my neck of the woods, I’ll gladly be one of your Trail Angels!
Hi yah kid! LOL….I’m finally finding my way around.
Well now, that is one posh place. I’ve never heard of a hotel on campus before. That’s really unique. I linked over to the website to check it out. Looks really nice. Were you a guest? The Great Lawn looks very Downton. The hallway is palatial isn’t it. For some reason I thought of Shelley’s house, although her home is very inviting and cozy, given the size. Wasn’t that a giant dining table we visited at? I felt like a little girl sitting at the adult table, ha! She was a terrific host.
I still can’t get over how long her driveway was and that it’s paved all the way up. Stunning!
Where was I? Oh ya, Virginia Tech. Now this is your Alma Mater right? Is there a photo of you hanging somewhere there with the class of 20??. Jim and I toddled around the U of Alberta one day and they have class photo’s of every year since the first grad class in 1912. I love those old ones best.
BTW, the skies above the giant wreath……omgosh right? Are those all plane tracks in the sky or wispy clouds? Looks like a beautiful day at any rate. ta ta 4 now xo K
Such a fun message, Boomdee!
So let’s see … VT is not my Alma Mater. I like to say that of the three universities I attended, none had a football team, and since I’m a big fan of football, I adopted the VT Hokies.
When (not if) you come visit again, we’ll wander around the campus. It is beautiful and the architecture is wonderful.
When you get the little gift I am sending (hope to get it in the mail soon!), you’ll see a reminder of our sweet friend Shelley. What an incredible visit that was.
We are lucky women, are we not? XO
True that hon, We ARE very lucky. Unlike some, I truly believe in luck. I tend to think my life is 40% by design, 40% karma and 20% luck of the draw. I’m very careful not to accrue any bad Karma as that can really mess up the stats, LOL If I ever watch sports, they’re always yammering about the stats, so you’ll appreciate the whole ‘stats’ thing 😀
Presents? weeeeee! I also have a little something here for you. Every night I went to bed saying, “get up early so you can stop at the Post Office”. I made it to the PO twice but hadn’t wrapped your treats yet, so I’m sorry, it will be a ‘Happy New Years’ gift. ❤ ❤
Hey sweetness, plane tracks = contrails, if you’re interested. In my former life as a weather forecaster, I learned how to name stuff in the sky. Contrails is short for condensation trails, which is possibly more technical than saying plane tracks, but not as much fun. 😉
The photo has both contrails and cirrus (wispy clouds), and you have a good eye for recognizing that they are all at the same height! That’s one of the first things a meteorologist has to learn.
Beautiful! Fa-la-la-la. All those trees . . . After looking them over and over, my vote would be for the Radford Health and Rehab tree because I love the idea behind the photos. People and their histories, those bygone faces shining out from that tree, telling us all – I’m still here, I will always be here in heart – that, to me, is what Christmas is all about.
I love how you always make the most out of life, Laurie! Merry Christmas to you. xox
I’m with you about the Radford Rehab tree, and I love your words.
Christmas is about so much more than shopping and material gifts.
How are you doing, Mary?
Now that could get me in the spirit! All of them were clever or cute or just plain lovely.
Hello Lisa!
How have you been? I’m hoping to take some time to visit blogs after Christmas. Hope you are finding peace amidst the “fullness” of the season
The trees are beautiful! I’ve seen this sort of festival of trees before and thought most of the trees were just sort of tacky but these are fab! Or maybe it’s the photographer’s skill . . .
Hi Kerry, thanks for the nice complement about the photographer 🙂
I think the lights and the location are what made this such a lovely festival. It was surely what I needed to get in the mood. It is the 23rd and I just wrapped presents!!
This was wonderful! Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!
Hi Mae! I need to get over to your place to see how the new place planning and preparations are going! In fact, I’ll head over now! Merry Christmas!!
how brilliant is this! all of them are so striking. I would find it hard to choose a favourite. thanks for sharing.
And thank you for visiting! It was so lovely to wander among the lights and decorations.
What a spectacular building! And the trees are breathtaking – such creative and inspiring decorations!
I’m glad that you like the building shots. The history of the campus and the architecture deserve a post on their own!
It looks like such an amazing space, that’s for sure!
Fabulous photo series. Well done. 🙂
Thank you, Frank!
All so beautifully done and what an absolute fun get together. Love the rehab centre’s decoration, too easy to forget that youth only fades on the outside.
If those who commented on this post were voting, the rehab center would definitely be the winner! You, Pauline, and Mary offered such great comments. Your comment about youth fading only on the inside is perfect
You had me at raspberry martini. Such interesting facts about the Hokie Stone, and I like the consistent architecture on campus for using the stone in all their buildings. It must be a stunning campus. I noticed your pronunciation for Appalachian, and had to giggle because you must have to correct people as often as I correct them for mispronouncing Oregon (ore – ee- gun).
Those trees. I can hardly respond. Not simply beautiful but emotionally beautiful. I am really moved by several of them, particularly the Radford Health and Rehab, reminding us that the halls are filled with stories of bright, vivacious lives, no matter how much things may have slowed down. And the Linus Project. Blankets. Omigosh, it totally made me cry.
Love that elf peeking out at the end. Perfectly framed shot.