This past Sunday was the first time we visited the Governor's Residence. On a special occasion of course -- the Annual Holiday Open House! You see, normally the GR is only open for tours during the months of April, May, June, September, and October between the hours of 9:30 am and 2:00 pm. I don't think anyone would take a day off from work just to go on the tour, do you? So this was a golden opportunity that we didn't want to miss.

Now it was for the Christmas holidays so it was even more the reason to visit. There were a total of 8 Christmas trees inside the GR! Garlands and ornaments were everywhere. Santa Claus was there for picture taking. The Christmas village and the 3 trains that were running on the tracks -- so fascinating! There were free hot ciders, hot chocolate, and cookies. All of the staff were out greeting people and answering questions. Choir was singing Christmas Carols and the pianist was playing funky tunes. Governor Wolf and his First Lady, Frances were there shaking hands with visitors and posing for photos. And most of all, the mansion itself was simply amazing, as ornate as a residence can be!

We were fortunate to be part of this occasion on our first visit. We had such fond memories of the time we spent there.