Some days you wake up, smell the eggnog and can’t wait to get to work. And having worked for both Santa and Schell Brothers, I can honestly say, I have never seen so much holiday spirit!
A few weeks back we hosted our Holiday Spirit Tour of our communities and the holiday spirit was certainly in the air. Bright and early along with Santa and all his elves, we piled into the Jolly Trolley for a day trip full of festive cheer as we visited each community to tour their holiday-themed decorated model homes.
Our first stop was Ellis Point. Jay and his crew had that Catalina just bursting with Christmas. Every room had something in it to let us know the big day would be here soon. Even the porta-potty was decorated in front of the homes under construction. That Jay just thinks of everything! Inside, breakfast was served to get our bellies nice and full before heading to our next model.
As we pull into The Peninsula, the bus driver took a little detour because it wasn’t our Jolly Trolley taking us to see Gary at the Kingfisher, it was a horse drawn carriage! Sorry Rudolf, I know you like to be at the lead of Santa’s sleigh but today it was some tail swishing steads that pulled this sleigh full of elves. The guys at the Kingfisher had an even bigger surprise for us. As we rode up on the horse-drawn sleigh we were greeted with eye catching fireworks to celebrate the season.
Next, quick as a wink we dashed away to Bayfront at Rehoboth. Santa and I were jumping for joy. It was a Schell Brothers Christmas Wonderland! Everywhere you looked was a big kid’s paradise. Chestnuts roasting on an open (trash can) fire, an ice luge, a fully stocked coffee bar, beer pong, beer ring toss, and more Christmas cutouts than the eye could see.
Then to our surprise, we heard that familiar “Ho, Ho, Ho” but from another Santa. There, nestled snug in the outdoor shower, was the jolly old fellow himself in a make shift photo booth. We all got to sit on his lap and tell him our Christmas wishes. All of that and we hadn’t even stepped foot in the model yet! It was beautifully decorated from top to bottom. The best part was that we all got to take a treat with us as we left. Our very own Charlie Brown Christmas trees. Who would have thought you could top horses and fireworks?
Please specify a Flickr ID for this gallery
As we pulled up to the model at Independence we could see people standing out on the roof. And it certainly wasn’t Santa, he was with us on the bus. It was Mollie and Grace holding fists full of beads. t was a Mardi Gras Christmas in the Hancock and they made Sally Burton Way look like the streets of New Orleans. From the decorations to the jambalaya, everything had that New Orleans flair.
As we walked in through the doors at The Ridings model we returned to a more classic Christmas as our ears were delighted by the sounds of Kelsey serenading us with Christmas music. “That girl has the voice of an angel” was what Santa kept saying. I was bubbling over with joy and just had to join in on the fun, so I shook my tambourine and sang along with Kelsey. What a treat! Between the eggnog, the delicious treats and the beautiful music, the girls of Ridings really spoiled us.
The rest of the day took us through Heritage Creek and Wagamons West Shore where we continued to indulge in treats and spirits as we toured the beautiful models that our Schell elves worked tirelessly to decorate for us.
The last leg of the trip was back up Rt. 1 and over to Gills Neck Rd where we stopped at Breakwater where the Salt Meadow was decorated with beautiful holiday cheer. Across the street at Senators we were so excited to see what Dan had in store for us at our brand new model The Henlopen. Like a bunch of overgrown kids on Christmas Day we got to run around the model in an epic Nerf War! What a way to end the day and another great Model Tour.
It was a fun filled, Decorated Holiday Model Home Tour. The holiday themed models kept me smiling all day and you know how smiling is my favorite.
~The Elf
