Alex and I recently hosted a scotch tasting and dinner party at our house during Alexandria's Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend. The weekend celebrates Alexandria's Scottish heritage, as the city was named for Scotsman John Alexander, an original founder of the city and owner of much of its land. The weekend features a festive parade, a holiday tour of homes (here's a look back to when our home was on the tour lineup), a heather and greens sale, and many more yule tide and Scottish inspired festivities. Hands down, it's our favorite weekend of the year in Alexandria, and in our household, officially marks the start of the Christmas season.

Getting ready for the party seemed a bit overwhelming, because it not only meant preparing for a dinner event, but it also meant making sure our home was properly decked out for the holidays. We had a tree to buy and decorate...

...exterior window wreaths to hang...

...and miscellaneous touches to ensure our home was properly festive.

So when it came to designing our table for the event, I didn't have a lot of time or energy to spare. That's where less than $10.00 in grocery store flowers came to the rescue. 

Focusing on the tablescape as a whole and keeping in mind the theme of the weekend, I knew I wanted to use tartan to decorate our table, while keeping in mind the somewhat rustic Highlands of Scotland. To balance off the pattern of the tartan and add a rustic texture, I set the table with a base "tablecloth" of burlap and topped it with two tartan runners, all of which we had on hand thanks to when we participated in the home tour. 

While the intent is to keep the feeling somewhat Highlands rustic, we also want it to feel like a sophisticated event. As a result, It's one of the few, if only nights of the year, we break out our wedding china and stemware (largely due to the fact it isn't dishwasher safe). Our china is a simple white pattern with a platinum edge, which I paired with white dinner napkins and silver chargers.

I didn't want the centerpiece to compete with the tartan runners, and also didn't want a floral centerpiece to be so tall it physically interfered with conversation. So I opted to use two matching low glass vases I had on hand, along with a simple yet elegant color palette of green and white. I purchased two bunches of flowers at our local grocery store -- a dozen white roses and a small cluster of green berries. 

In order to bulk up the arrangement, I added in some fresh cut greenery from our yard as well as a few trimmed lower branches from our Christmas tree. (Tip: I've found that if you don't have enough of your own trimmed branches on hand, many times businesses selling Christmas trees are happy to give you any of their extra cuttings at no charge. I then use these branches for mantel decor, arrangements around the house, exterior decorations, etc.)

I set out to create two identical centerpieces, so I began by trimming and then arranging six roses in each vase.

I make sure I trim off some of the leaves to keep them all above the water, but I leave those on above the water line for fullness and color. 

After I had the roses arranged the way I wanted them, I repeated the process with the berries and fresh greenery so that the two centerpieces were the mirror images of each other, and put them on the table with a few tea lights around them.

All in all, I am really happy with how the centerpieces came together both on their own and as part of the table setting. At less than $5.00 each and five minutes of effort to put them together, I'd call it a win.

The evening was a ton of fun, and the entire night served as a lovely kickoff for the holiday season. 

It was a great excuse to don kilts (yes, three of the four men present were wearing them!), enjoy the company of friends and neighbors, sample delicious food and whiskey, and celebrate the season.

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Cue the bagpipes and pour yourself a finger or two of Scotch because Alexandria's Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend is just a few days away!

We're celebrating the weekend by giving away two tickets to the always amazing Holiday Designer Tour of Homes. Read on to find out which homes will be showcased and how you can enter to win.

The weekend's festivities mark The Campagna Center's 45th annual celebration of Alexandria's Scottish heritage and the start to the Christmas season. And it also marks one of our absolute favorite weekends of the year where locals and visitors alike get to experience a little of what makes historic Old Town Alexandria so very special.

The events of the weekend take place from December 4th to 6th, but the core of the weekend's celebration take place on Saturday. The Christmas Walk itself starts at 11:00 and winds with bagpipes, dogs, and Alexandria's represented clans through the historic streets of Old Town. Then the Holiday Designer Tour of Homes (from 11:00-4:00) highlights many of Old Towns very historic properties completely decked out for the holidays.

This year's tour is going to be a great one and highlights the following five Old Town 18th and 19th century historic homes.

201 N. Columbus Street

This two-story 1870 brick townhouse with a rare attached Charleston-style side porch is a jewel of North Columbus Street. It has been owned by several prominent Old Town residents, including Worth Hulfish, owner of a hardware store in 1895; Frank Warfield, a druggist who worked at W.F. Creighton and Co; R.L. Goods, an engineer on the Southern Railroad; and Denys Peter Myers, an architectural historian with the National Park Service. After restoring several rooms, including a recently completed kitchen renovation, the current owners furnished the elegant Victorian three bedroom home with antiques, original art, and family heirlooms. The home has been decorated by the homeowners with the floral arrangements donated by Free Spirit Floral. Free Spirit Floral offers a commitment to artistic excellence and personal service in floral design.

210 Prince Street

The Michael Swope House, named after its first owner, a Revolutionary War hero, stands with distinction on Gentry Row. The lot the home stands on was originally purchased by George Washington’s half-brother, Augustine Washington, in 1749, and was then bought by William Ramsey in 1751. The home was built between 1784-86. Much of the interior woodwork is original to the house. The homeowners have made a few renovations to the home, including a small powder room off the dining room, the restoration of the dining room fireplace to its original arched brick design, and a customized wine cellar with a beautiful gas ceiling lamp. The home will be decorated by family and friends with floral accents donated by Fleurelity. Fleurelity is a small local business offering unique floral arrangements at an affordable price.

321 S. Pitt Street

This historic home was built in the mid to late 1800s by local Alexandria architect, Benjamin Franklin Price. The imaginative design is influenced by the Victorian Gothic revival with pointed arched windows and simple bracketed cornice. Original pine floors can still be admired in the traditional “double parlor” rooms on the main level as well as the second level landings and the third floor bedroom. The modern renovations were completed in 2013. The home is furnished with art and decor pieces referencing one of the owner’s Scottish heritage, a perfect way to celebrate the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, both inside and out! The holiday decor will be created by Casey Sanford of Casey Sanford Interior Design with the floral arrangements donated by Flora Couture. A resident of Old Town, Casey Sanford offers interior design services, customized to the clients’ desired tastes. Local to Alexandria, Flora Couture provides tailored floral design, expressing the clients’ personality and style. 

509 Cameron Street

Known as the Pomeroy House, this home was built by William Pomeroy in 1804. It is believed that Thomson F. Mason lived in the home in 1816, 11 years before he became mayor of Alexandria. Mason, the grandson of founding father George Mason, was instrumental in the fight to separate Alexandria from the District of Columbia and was elected mayor three times, serving from 1827 to 1830. From an architectural standpoint, it is one of the few original “flounders” in Old Town and underwent very little change until 2007. The owners worked with builder and architect, Linda Serbian, to ensure much of the historic character, such as the fireplace mantles, moldings, trim and hardware were preserved while adding modern touches to the home. The holiday decor has been created by Ashley Baker of Ashley Baker Designs with floral arrangements donated by Wegmans Alexandria. Ashley Baker Designs offers design services for projects big and small. Wegmans Alexandria creates custom designed centerpieces that simply amaze.

712 Prince Street

This Federalist style home was built in 1802 by Mr. Thomas Swann, a prominent Alexandria attorney. When Henry Daingerfield purchased the house in 1835, he began to give the home a new “Italianate” and Victorian architectural look. The building was a part of St. Mary’s Academy and was also used a nurses’ residence and training school before it was sold to the City of Alexandria in the 1970s. Recently updated by the current owners, the design theme preserves and emphasizes the architectural beauty of the original 1802 home while incorporating many modern elements. The house holds a collection of unique art, including Buddha statues from the 1700s, a Khmer statue, and black-and-white photographs taken by famous 20th century photographers. The home has been decorated by family friends with the floral arrangements donated by Helen Olivia. Helen Olivia is a high end retail florist, offering stunning arrangements creatively composed in their unique signature style.

In addition to the houses on the tour, St. Paul's Episcopal Church will be open as a rest stop for those who want to take a break for a moment.

Having enjoyed this annual event since 2000, we can't wait for this weekend's events. As we mentioned above, as a special reader reward, anyone who can make it to Alexandria on Saturday for the tour is eligible for three chances to win two tickets to the event. Details are as follows:

• PRIZE: Two tickets to the 2015 Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend Holiday Designer Tour of Homes. Tickets retail for $35 per person.
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Thursday, December 3rd at 11:59pm EST.
• AND THE WINNER IS: One lucky winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Friday, December 4th, so be sure to come back then to see if you're the winner.
• PRIZE REDEEMABLE: The tickets can be used for entry to the 2015 Scottish Christmas Walk Designer Tour of Homes in Alexandria, VA on December 5, 2015, between 11:00am and 4:00pm.
• TO ENTER: 
  1. Comment on this post with the words “HOLIDAY HOMES”, and tell us a little bit about what you'd like to see on the tour. (One comment entry per person please.) 
  2. For an additional (optional) entry, Like my Facebook page or follow my Instagram account, for a look at local real estate, home improvement tips, and design inspiration.
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE: This Reader Reward is open to anyone who plans to be in Alexandria, VA on December 5, 2015 and can attend the tour in person.

Please see our complete terms & conditions page for more details. If you're interested in learning more about the event and purchasing tickets, please visit the Campagna Center's event webpage.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

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Rather than bore you with tremendous detail on each little part of the days, we just want to share some of our favorite photos from the weekend. We snapped a few that we feel truly captures the feel of the weekend, like this great one of a kilted man strolling Old Town's picturesque Cameron Street.

Many of the beautiful homes around Old Town and on the parade route showed their Scottish flair.

People packed the parade route to watch the participants.

The the dogs were out in full force, like the giant Scottish Deerhounds.

And these Brussels Griffons in sweaters. They're like tiny Christmas sweater wearing Ewoks.

The parade had its fair share of classic cars throughout.

And as always, an absolutely amazing Santa (playing bagpipes) and Mrs. Claus.

The historic Carlyle House was looking amazing with a Continental Army camp setup in the front yard.

They were cooking, playing games, and doing weapons drills.

The parade also had some spectacular examples of facial hair along the way.

There were, of course, quite a few pipers piping, filling the air with beautiful sounds.

The home tour was great fun. While we don't feel comfortable taking copious amounts of photos within the private homes and sharing them all over the Internet, there are two photos we snapped and want to share. The first is from the fourth floor looking down a beautiful winding staircase of an enormous early 19th century home.

And the second is the spectacular view from the third floor window of the Swann-Daingerfield mansion's front window. 

Overall the weekend was a ton of fun. The weather on Saturday was perfect and the events all seems to go off without a hitch. I can't think of a better way to spend the first weekend in December each and every year. 

Were you able to join us? If so, did you have fun? If not, doesn't it look like a pretty great place to be?

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You know what they say. "It's the most wonderful time, of the year." In Old Town this is very true as this coming weekend marks the highly anticipated Christmas events celebrated throughout the town by locals and visitors alike. Yes, that's right, it's the Campagna Center's annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, and we can't wait!

In celebration of the occasion, we've got a great giveaway for two tickets to an event that's near and dear to our heart, the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend Holiday Designer Tour of Homes, but more on that a little later in the post.

The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend has been celebrated the first weekend in December for the last 42 years, and the 43rd annual event kicks off this coming Friday. Starting with several kid friendly events during the day, the first night is capped with the Taste of Scotland. The Taste of Scotland is a great charity event at the George Washington Masonic Temple where the attendees taste many different types of Scotches having a grand old time. The men don kilts, the ladies their tartans, and the town really kick off the Christmas season by celebrating the night away. 

The main event, the Scottish Walk parade follows on Saturday morning, celebrating Alexandria's Scottish heritage with lots of kilts, bagpipes, dogs, and classic cars. This event is one that is celebrated by many in the area, regardless of Scottish ancestry.

One of the other major events for the day is the Holiday Designer Tour of Homes, where several private homes throughout Old Town are opened to the public, allowing onlookers a unique glimpse into a few of the homes that give Old Town its character.

If you remember back to last year, our home was one of the houses on the Christmas Designer Tour of Homes. The level of effort we put into getting our house ready for the tour was staggering, but the overwhelmingly positive response, that fact our home was bursting with beautiful floral arrangements, and the knowledge we were supporting a great cause made it all completely worth it. This year we're not participating by opening our home, but we'll be attending the event to check out this year's tour homes.

But just because we're not opening our home this year doesn't mean we can't give you a glimpse into one of the other homes on tour. This home happens to be that of our blog readers, Cara and James, and their adorable daughter Alexandra.

Cara and James live in an historic home just down the street from us and have done wonderful things with their quaint and stylish home, proving that modest sized historic homes can still boast modern style while meeting the needs of a young family. 

Cara has been working tirelessly on an ombre tree theme and corresponding table scape, going as far as to paint ornaments and vases the perfect shade of Tiffany blue. I'm so glad I'm not the only person in town that would go to these lengths to achieve their holiday vision!

It's definitely a place, along with the other homes and locations on the tour, that should be seen in person. That's where today's giveaway comes in. For the second year in a row the Campagna Center has generously donated two tickets for Old Town Home to give away to our wonderful readers. The two tickets are valued at $70. 

• PRIZE: Two tickets to the 43rd annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, December 6th at 12:00pm (noon) EST.
• AND THE WINNER IS: One lucky winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Friday, December 6th, so be sure to come back then to see if you're the winner.
• PRIZE REDEEMABLE: The tickets can be used for entry to the 2013 Holiday Designer Tour of Homes in Alexandria, VA on December 7, 2012, between 11:00am and 4:00pm.
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “AN OLD TOWN CHRISTMAS”, and tell us a little bit about your Christmas traditions. (One comment entry per person please.)
  Tweet the following for an additional entry: @OldTownHome is giving away 2 tickets to @ScotWalkWknd's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes. Leave a comment to enter. http://www.oldtownhome.com/2013/12/3/2013-Scottish-Christmas-Walk-Designer-Tour-of-Homes-Giveaway/. Just click on the link and it'll open up Twitter with the tweet already composed. Don't worry, we'll keep track of the tweet entries too.
  We'd also love it if you would "like" us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, but that's not mandatory. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE: This Reader Reward is open to anyone who plans to be in Alexandria, VA on December 7, 2012, to celebrate the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend.

Please see our complete terms & conditions page for more details.

We hope you're planning on attending this year's Scottish Christmas Walk. We'll be wandering around town all day, so if you see us, be sure to say hello.

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Earlier today we told you all about our invitation to participate in the 42nd Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes! We're really excited to open our home along for a good cause so participants can enjoy our holiday decor. 

After we were invited to participate in this year's tour, we asked if there would be any way we could give away two tickets to our readers. We figured you guys are the main reason why we're on the tour in the first place, so we'd love to give someone a chance to win and attend. The Campagna Center happily donated two tickets, valued at $70, to give away to one of our lucky readers. 

• PRIZE: Two tickets to the 42nd annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, November 19th at 11:59pm EST.
• AND THE WINNER IS: One lucky winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Tuesday, November 20th, so be sure to come back then to see if you're the winner.
• PRIZE REDEEMABLE: The tickets can be used for entry to the 2012 Holiday Designer Tour of Homes in Alexandria, VA on December 1, 2012, between 11:00am and 4:00pm.
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “AN OLD TOWN CHRISTMAS”, and tell us a little bit about your Christmas decorating plans. (One comment entry per person please.)
  Tweet the following for an additional entry: @OldTownHome is giving away 2 tickets to @ScotWalkWknd's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes. Just leave a comment to enter. http://www.oldtownhome.com/2012/11/12/Reader-Reward-Two-Tickets-to-the-Old-Town-Holiday-Designer-Tour-of-Homes/. Just click on the link and it'll open up Twitter with the tweet already composed. Don't worry, we'll keep track of the tweet entries too.
  We'd also love it if you would "like" us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, but that's not mandatory. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE: This Reader Reward is open to anyone who plans to be in Alexandria, VA on December 1, 2012, to celebrate the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend.

Please see our complete terms & conditions page for more details.

We'll be around Old Town all weekend during the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, so we hope to bump into you if you're around. We hope to see you on the tour (we're touring all of the other houses), and if you're going to the Taste of Scotland Scotch tasting the night before the tour, we'll also see you there.

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