Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters1/11Dreaming of another white Christmas . . .
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters2/11As the days become colder, mountain mist falls silently over the Château park.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters3/11Holly from the Château park decorates the delicate 18th-century ironwork on the front terrace. The letters C, D, and G are woven into a cipher representing Château de Gudanes.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters4/11Decking the upstairs halls for Christmas.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters5/11Our 2016 Château Advent calendar—24 days open window by window, door by door. Behind each, is a peek into the past 12 months at the Château. Each day on the website, we share the story of each photo.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters6/11Last year, the local mayor arrived with an enormous tree—a gift for the Château at Christmas. It took eight of us to carry it inside. It was a Rockefeller of a Christmas tree, almost reaching to the upstairs ceiling. It filled the hall with the fragrance of sweet fresh pine, and on the odd occasion birds, flying in through broken windows, perched themselves on the long green branches decorated with colored Christmas baubles.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters7/11Just for the holiday season, we opened the Château boutique. The boutique offered carefully curated little treasures from local brocantes and antique stores, found locally near the Château. Each treasure is hand-selected and wrapped lovingly with buttons and bows, vintage and antique wallpapers, music sheets, and 18th- and 19th-century fashion illustrations. All proceeds assist in the restoration of the Château.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters8/11One of the little treasures from the Château boutique—a petite Limoges brooch, sent together with a vintage French postcard. Sharing a short video of Château little gifts.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters9/11Advent calendars and little gifts on their way to the village post office. This may be a modern fairy tale, but posting from here sometimes takes time and is often more akin to sending mail 18th-century horse-and-carriage style. It’s about embracing the way that things have been happening here for centuries.
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters10/11Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree . . .
Photo: Courtesy of Karina Waters11/11Joyeux Noel, from Château de Gudanes!
