Dan Antion

Christmas Doors – Thursday Doors

I love the balcony.

Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

Before I get into my post, I’d like to take care of a little Thursday Doors business. As you may know, I’ve been sharing the link to this post in advance in a sidebar widget on my blog. Rather than list it under the current badly worded explanation, I was thinking it would be nice to have a Thursday Doors badge. Of course, that means we need a contest. I will post the rules for the contest tomorrow. Check back if you’re interested.

Also, remember that next week, everyone is invited to share a collection of your favorite doors from 2020.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled post.

It should come as no surprise that plans for the holiday season are in flux due to the virus that is back on the rise in the US.

I have shared photos from Old Sturbridge Village in previous years, but we may not be able to visit this year. OSV is holding a “modified” Christmas by Candlelight, but due to COVID travel restrictions, we may not be able to attend. If we are able to visit, there won’t be as many doors to photograph. The gingerbread house competition is being held online this year, and I suspect the Bethlehem Village tour will be a carefully scripted walk, if the building is even open.

The event is very special to us, and regardless of the opportunities to collect photos, we are hoping to be able to walk through a nineteenth century village that is decorated for Christmas. We bought tickets in advance, with the idea in mind that if we aren’t able to attend, we’d still be happy supporting OSV.

However, this is Thursday Doors, and virus or not, I want to share some holiday spirit. Fortunately, when we visited in 2019, I took an abundance of pictures. I can’t promise that every picture in the gallery is new, and some are slightly different versions of ones I shared last year, but I think we all get a little leeway this year. These are from the grounds, the gingerbread house contest and the Bethlehem Village display.

Looks like there’s a little Dr. Seuss inspiration in the house on the left.
The best ever use of shredded mini-wheats.
I want to build a house using gummy material.
You know I enjoy arched entrances.
Mini-marshmallows are the material choice for making sheep.
Pretty good parking job, Santa.
I like those eyebrow windows.
I’m not sure what happened, but I like the effect. It’s a wreath…but you knew that, right?
I love the balcony.
The miniature buildings in the giant nativity display were so wonderfully detailed,
That’s the side door to one of the smaller shops.
That’s the front door to the bank. Locked up tight for the night.
This is the barn where they where serving hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps. Well, they were serving other things, but that’s what we bought.
I’m not sure the trains will be running this year, or if we’ll be there to see them. I’m glad I took the opportunity when I had it.
Christmas by Candlelight always (normally) features a model railroad display.
This is a new photo, but if you’ve been around this blog before, you recognize this barn.

If you are in a hurry and don’t wish to scroll through the comments, click to Jump to the comment form.

144 comments

  1. A glorious post today, Dan! Nothing like some (gingerbread) Christmas doors to spread the holiday cheer!
    Look, there’s Santa’s sleigh together with some reindeer :) Such artistry. I think I like the the little home with a pond and ‘eyebrows windows’ best. And is that a fish I spot? :)

    Here’s mine for today: https://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/winter-story-thursday-doors/

    Thank you for the heads-up regarding next week’s post and the contest. :) Have a merry week!

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  5. Loved it all, Dan — toy doors, real doors, blurry wreath — but you saved the best for last: model trains! They will always be a Christmas favorite for me. Dad set up a train and large village every year, and my brother and I loved it. Good post!

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  14. Could never get tired of OSV Dan. The featured nativity scene is awesome. The talent that went into creating the gingerbread houses is mind-blowing. There’s not a door in the crowd not to like!

    Sure hope you and Faith get to visit OSV again this year, even if it’s a Reader’s Digest version. It’s such a tradition for the two of you. It’s very sad the number of traditions Covid-19 is spoiling for so many folks. Keeping my fingers crossed!
    Ginger

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    • Thanks Ginger. 2020 has been hard on traditions. I get it, we’re trying to avoid the virus, but OSV is the perfect venue for social distancing – it’s all outside this year. My biggest concern is that they survive the year. That’s why we bought tickets, even if we can’t use them. It’s such a good cause, and the cost of maintaining these buildings doesn’t rest for the virus.

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed this. It always amazes me what people, especially young people come up with to build and decorate the gingerbread buildings and scenery, Thanks for joining us today. The lodge is a great entry!

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  21. The perfect Christmas-y door post, Dan. I have to go with the yellow barn this week, even though the others are a more creative response. I hope you get to OSV in person. Today I’m ecstatic, as we’re having our first rain in over 110 days and it’s a good one. So here’s my link and then I’m off to look outside once more to glory in the rain.

    https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2020/12/10/thursday-doors-pasadena-1/

    janet

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  24. Such a wonderful post, Dan. And that artsy Christmas wreath…! The pictures that we can’t figure out what we did are usually awesome, and this one definitely is! Our Gingerbread House contest is downtown on Saturday. We will probably go but husband is always yanking me back as I’m saying, “Let me get a few photos.”
    I tried the ‘jump to the comment form’ and it works great! But reading the comments here is half the fun, so I jumped back.

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    • Hahaha – I do enjoy reading the comments, Lois, especially when you guys gang up on me ;-)

      I knew that photo was a wreath, because the next photo was a good one of the wreath, but I really liked this one, too.

      Tell hubs that you have commitments to honor – we expect to see photos! Tell him, if he doesn’t let you take photos, I’m going to drive down and drop off another cat.

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    • Thanks. I tried leaving a comment on your blog, but it failed twice. I’m going to add it here.

      I do like your favorite, but I also like the arched metal gate. That is a beautiful bit of craftsmanship, and the photo is great. I think it’s the juxtaposition of the elegant gate and the area it’s protecting.

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  28. Happy Thursday, Dan. Thanks for reminding me that this is the train setup. My inner Grinch has teamed up with the Cthulhu so-called-muse, and between the two… well just call me Ebenezer. But this place is so dang cool! I do love it, and happily revisit it virtually with you and the gang. Hugs on the wing.

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  30. Wonderful tour, Dan. A hotel near us always has a massive display of a Gingerbread village during the holiday season. I’m forever in awe of folks who can create these masterpieces. Your photos may be the closest I get to the village this year. Thank you! ✨🎄✨

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    • I’m glad you could join us, Gwen. Unfortunately, the photos might be the closest I get to the village. But, it’s 2020, so what else is new?

      I hope you have a great weekend.

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  32. Good collection of gingerly bread done doors. It got me curious about door knockers. They are to be found in many varieties. One of which is a squirrel door knocker. Personally I liked the kraken door knocker. Then again these would require telephoto lenses. Thanks Dan.

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  34. Good for you that you won’t give the virus too big of a place in your (and our) life, and go with the holiday spirit! Great gingerbread houses, now I won’t get to see my grands creations this year:) Musing that Life Savers make a great adornment:) Also love the barn in the dark! Thanks for hosting.

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    • Thanks! I think the saddest part of this pandemic is the fact that so many families are missing the opportunity to spend time together. I hope that 2021 brings you back together, Jesh.

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    • Thanks Robbie. I’m glad you enjoyed the contest display. Your houses are amazing. The contest at OSV has a family and, I think, an adult category. I think your houses would garner a ribbon.

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  37. Oooohhh…I love when you share your village Christmas doors. The gingerbread houses are so amazing. Thanks for helping to keep the spirit alive in the face of this year’s challenges, Dan. Contest? I love those. 😉

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  48. Dan, you know me, I like the old old wooden buildings! That gray building with the window and door is my favorite! I think it is going to be quite a different Christmas this year, but I am trying to do as many things that I would normally do this time of year. Going to the “events” has been a trial, because even if they are still going on, there are longer lines, due to social distancing and the event takes that much longer to get through because only a few at a time will be allowed in. Be prepared to stand longer! But, anyway at my age, what do I have to do that is more important? Here are my doors this week from beautiful Norway! Norway has changed my life! https://thecadyluckleedy.com/2020/12/11/thursday-doors-in-undredal-norway/ and if you missed my doors from last week from the goat farm near Geirangerfjiord, Norway, here they are! https://thecadyluckleedy.com/2020/12/05/thursday-doors-at-the-herdalsetra-farm-norway/
    The Herdalsetra Farm was one of the most fascinating places we have been to and one of the most remote! See you next week!

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    • Thanks so much for including the link to last week’s entry. That was a marvelous tour. I found your post this week, but for some reason it seems your pingback didn’t make it here. I added the link in case you didn’t stop by to comment.

      Old Sturbridge has been doing a good job with the virus restrictions. We were there in the summer. The grounds are spacious enough that you can keep moving, perhaps seeing things out of order, but we saw everything we wanted, and we never had to wait or be uncomfortably close. I’m just hoping that they make it through the winter, financially. Christmas by Candlelight is a big boost for them, and the number of tickets has had to be restricted.

      Thanks again for bringing your links to us. Both are great posts.

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  49. Hum…was it last year I disagreed with your assessment of Shredded Wheat? I still disagree they are yummy! 😂 They do make excellent roofing tiles on Gingerbread houses too.

    Those marshmallow sheep were so cute!

    I hope they make it through the season and can open it if even limited and come back strong next year.

    Liked by 1 person

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  57. Hi Dan – amazing cakes … those are wonderful … me: I like to eat the icing stars! What an amazing exhibition to see … and I love the variation to your Thursday doors … incredible artistry … really cheering thank you – Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

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