Happy Post-Thanksgiving!
Where do I find you on this nippy fall morning? Sweating out that second helping of pumpkin pie in the gym? In a line at the mall, wrapping up Black Friday shopping? Setting up your Christmas tree?
Well, regardless of where you are, I wanted to stop by to tell you that you officially have permission to let the Christmas season BEGIN! Unravel the lights, swap out the Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candles to Fresh Balsam (we’re in Columbus, I have to plug B&BW!) and start the Harry Potter movie marathon (OK, maybe that’s just me…!). Every year, Christmas creeps up on me. I’m a creature of habit and tradition. Perhaps you’re realizing some of what happens in my world on the Friday after Thanksgiving – Tree – check. Decorations – check. Christmas music – check. Harry Potter Marathon commences – check. But you know what the best part about Christmas is? Discovering new traditions. Last year, I stumbled across something spectacular.
My gift to you on this 1st day of the Christmas season is letting you in on my little holiday secret – the Ohio Amish Country Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns!
I received my packet in the mail this week and it was my first sign that Christmas is just around the corner. If you’ve never been, YOU NEED TO GO. Grab a girlfriend, your SIG-O, your mother-in-law (my case), anyone and put it on your calendar. This event is fun for the whole family and is a beautiful take on Christmas in Ohio. The self-paced, self-guided tour stops at 12 inns in Ohio Amish Country (Holmes County). Each inn is DECKED OUT in Christmas decor and you can collect (don’t plan to eat them all, you’ll never make it, I tried and failed) a cookie at each stop. The cookies are homemade by each inn. 
AND. If you love them and want them again, you can get them! The tour includes a booklet with all of the recipes! One of my favorite parts of last year’s experience was that not only did properties decorate the public space, many of them swapped out the furnishing and decor in guestrooms to transform them into holiday wonderlands as well. I wish I still had a picture, but I remember one of the properties made these fantastic “skirts” for wire-framed mannequins out of Christmas trees – it was super cute! My description is not doing their creativity justice – you’ll have to go check them out for yourself!
Here are the details:
December 10-11
Saturday (1-7PM) Sunday (1-6PM)
ChristmasCookieTour.com
Participating Properties:
- The Barn Inn
- Berlin Grande Hotel
- Berlin Resort
- Carlisle Country Inn
- Carlisle Inn Sugarcreek
- Carlisle Inn Walnut Creek
- Comfort Suites Berlin
- Garden Gate Get-A-Way
- Guggisberg Swiss Inn
- Inn at Amish Door
- Inn at Walnut Creek
- Oak Ridge Inn
For checking out my blog – you can receive a special discount! Call the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce at (330) 674-3975 to order your tickets and receive $2.00 of each ticket! Just mention you read about it on InnLove!
Your belly and your heart can feel good about this holiday event. 100% of net proceeds are donated to two charities this year – Life Care Hospice and the Holmes County Education Foundation.
Come join TJ, my M-I-L Teresa and me for this fabulous holiday event and watch the blog in December for a recap!
This Holiday Season, Fall INN LOVE.
xo, Halle