Santa’s Workshop

I bet this is not what comes to mind when you imagine Santa’s Workshop, is it? Well, let’s just think of it as a Southern outpost. This is where I work to create Glittermoon Vintage Christmas and it is also where I store my Glittermoon Cards inventory. Of course, the unwelcoming doormat is just a ploy to keep prying eyes from spoiling the Christmas magic. In case you can’t see it, it says “Go Away.”

Tucked away in the back corner of my garden is where you will find it. That’s my dog, Emma P. Buttercup, whose lower half is sticking out on the right. She’s waiting for some squirrel action.

We’re getting a little closer now. Just a few more steps and a little detour around the fish pond and we are there. Actually, this little building has an interesting history in Richmond politics.

My house was built in 1935 by a couple named Horace and Mary Edwards. We bought it from Mary’s estate in 1995, so we are only the second owners. Horace was rather prominent in local politics: he was Richmond’s first City Manager and he also became Mayor. Active in the state Democratic party, he later ran for governor but was defeated in his quest.

Apparently they used to have lots of parties at the house with politically connected people. At some point, Horace founded a club which was called The Colon Club. Now, for you non-Southerners, that is Colon in terms of that most Southern of dishes: Chitlins (ick!). If you don’t know what that is, I am sure google will be happy to enlighten you. Well, Mary refused to let Horace cook his chitlins inside the house because they have a rather offensive odor (and I don’t blame her one bit!) so he had to set up the Club in what was then the garage. He had a wood stove put in to cook on and the gentlemen would sit around and do whatever gentlemen do. The garage also functioned as his woodworking shop.

Sadly, in 2004, when Hurricane Isabel roared into town, an enormous maple tree on the right went down and crushed it. We had to have a crane come in to lift it off it was so big. So, this is a replica of the original. We wanted it put back just like it was. In the end, some good came from it because I saved all the old bricks and used them in the garden. The fish pond and brick wall were built using them.

At Christmas time, I love to decorate it with lots of lights and guess who is stationed right outside but our old friend Santa.