New this year: a Christmas Shop that replicates home for the holidays

This year our Beltsville Christmas Shop is something NEW but very traditional -  an old-fashioned ’50′s style farmhouse done up for Christmas.   Rooms have been created and decorated t0 give customers ideas about how they can decorate their own homes for the holidays.   The rooms include a seaside front porch (above), living room, kitchen, chicken coop/garden shed, dining room, kid’s bedroom, and a grape arbor with wine accessories.

It’s all the vision of Randy Best and every detail was implemented under his direction.   Most of the materials used in this re-imagined farmhouse are recycled or reused, many from a seller of old building materials.  The children’s bed (below) was donated by Alfred Millard, and other members of the Behnkes teamcontributed smaller items.  The chicken shed was made with the tin roof from a barn, and metal siding from Randy’s garden shed, which collapsed after a blizzard.   Sissy McKenzie donated the fireplace.  For still-needed fixtures, Randy wrote out a list of items he needed; then it was time to hit the yard sales to do some shopping.

The tree in the living room above is decorated with photos of seed packets from old catalogs or of actual seed packets, but they look so real that customers are asking where they can buy them.  That’s thanks to the graphic skills of our Susan O’Hara.

Check out these Designers

This year we’re carrying these popular designers: Byers Choice (for gingerbread houses, handmade carolers and advent calendars), the Traveling Santa Collection, Katherine’s Collection, the Merck Family’s Old World Christmas Collection, and the Suzy Toronto Collection.

Thanks and Kudos

Thanks to all the Behnkes employees who donated items from their homes (and barns) and lent their creativity and hard work to the project:  Randy Best, Alfred Millard, Sissy McKenzie, Stephanie Fleming and many more.  Darryl Lively, Behnkes’ construction and maintenance supervisor, did a great job building the porch, staircase, chicken coop and other elements of the display.

Thanks also to Will’s Home Decorating in Beltsville for donating the paper and paint used in our Beltsville Christmas Shop.  Shop Local!