Cooking with Bourbon

By Lisa Woodroof | Photos by RJ Goodwin

The holiday season elicits the flavors of spice and the experience of warmth—which perfectly describe my favorite relationship in a neat glass of bourbon.

A few years ago, I had an idea: what if I brought the contents of my glass… to the table? Each sip inspires numerous flavors—vanilla, caramel, honey, citrus, rose, black pepper, tobacco leaf, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon. My culinary soul danced at the idea of the collaboration! I took what I knew about this All-American beverage and started incorporating it into different types of recipes.

Cooking with bourbon will elevate your kitchen repertoire. So, shake a classic cocktail and get ready to be inspired.

Bourbon in Sauces

Wheated bourbons, such as Maker’s Mark, are sweeter and warmer enhancing jams, jellies, and barbecue sauces. They pair best with smoky flavors.

Tip: If you use bourbon in your homemade barbecue sauces for basting on the grill, don’t cook off the alcohol in advance. Leave a couple of shots of bourbon in the bottom of your empty bottle, add your vinegar or ketchup-based barbecue sauce into the bottle right over the bourbon and shake well. I recycle the flavors of every bourbon bottle with this technique.

Bourbon in Fruit Pies and/or Cobblers

Spicy, peppery high-rye bourbon offerings, such as Four Roses Single Barrel, work well with dressings and fruit-based dishes and have the brightness to offset rich and creamy ingredients.

Tip: Baking under 375 degrees in your oven will incorporate bourbon flavors richly. As the temperature is increased in cooking, you need to use a higher proof bourbon.

Bourbon in a Marinade

Bourbon will break down the enzymes in meat, so it works well as a multitasking tenderizer and marinade. Mix a shot or two of bourbon with brown sugar, sorghum, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, garlic, shallots, olive oil and your choice of seasonings and spices, and give your protein a soak for a few hours.

Tip: Bourbon marinades need more than a 10-minute pairing. Three hours in advance is ideal. Ensure your meat is brought to room temperature before cooking. This cooking technique is applicable to poultry or beef.

Bourbon on the Grill

Recipes that are exposed to higher temperatures on the grill need the body of a higher proof bourbon. You’re going to incorporate a bourbon bottle above the 100-proof variety. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Wild Turkey 101 and Old GrandDad 114 Barrel Proof, all perform well on the grill.

Tip: Use your bourbon-infused marinade to re-baste during the cooking process. You can even inject your bourbon sauces into your ribs and chicken.

Bourbon Season is Always in Season

From football fare to the Thanksgiving table, be inspired to capitalize on the bourbon spirit… pun intended.

BOURBON SERVED IN CLASSIC FORM

Classic bourbon cocktails inspire the holidays and guests alike. Here’s an early 19th-century recipe for the classic Bourbon Old Fashioned.

1 Demerara sugar cube

3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 teaspoon water

2 oz. bourbon

Add sugar, water, bitters into a rocks glass, and stir or smash until sugar is nearly dissolved.

Fill the glass with a single or multiple large ice cubes, add the bourbon, gently stir to combine the flavors.

Rim the oil of an orange peel over the glass, then drop it in.

Find more of Lisa’s recipes on the following pages.

Lisa Woodroof lives in Goode and is known as a Virginia foodie and Bourbonista. Follow Bourbon in the Kitchen on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram (bourbon_in_the_kitchen) for bourbon recipes and bourbon travel finds.

Bourbon Butter-Basted Cornish Hens

Ingredients

2 Cornish baking hens

Poultry baking herbs
(variety packs for easy purchase at grocer)

1 large onion, halved

1/4 teaspoon of salt & pepper

Directions

Warm your oven to 400 degrees (for electric oven)/375 degrees (for gas oven).

Wash your Cornish hens well and pat dry with paper towels. Place both hens in a baking dish that’s been touched with a good hit of non-stick spray. Place the halved onion inside the cavity of each hen. Within the skin and cavity, incorporate whole stems of the baking herbs. Baste hens well with bourbon butter. Top with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, maybe a little more if they are larger in hen size. Remember to baste throughout the cook time to foster a beautiful brown baking skin on the hen.

Baste with bourbon butter just before serving. If you have any baking herbs left over, garnish your plate next to the hen. It’s fragrant and reminds your guest that this is a holiday plate. A holiday smell can create a life-long memory.

Bourbon Creamed Corn Casserole
Serves 8

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons bourbon
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 (15.25 oz) can, whole kernel sweet corn, drained
1 (14.75 oz) can, cream-style sweet corn
1/2 teaspoon salt Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauce pan, heat the butter slowly over medium heat swirling until all butter is melted. Set it aside and measure out the rest of the ingredients.

Whisk in the flour into the melted and cooled butter and incorporate well. Then whisk in the sugar, eggs, milk, and bourbon.

Stir the creamed corn into the butter mixture, along with the drained whole kernel corn. Season with the salt and pepper.

Pour into a shallow 8×8 baking dish that’s been touched with non-stick spray.

Bake uncovered for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the center is set and the corn casserole is brown and caramelized on top. You can always broil the top for a hot-minute if the casserole is set but you want a more caramelized appearance.

This is a custardy baked cream corn casserole recipe. It’s easy prep and under ten ingredients. This is an heirloom recipe for any holiday table…rich and a smidgen of sweetness.

Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4 (Can Easily Double)

Ingredients

4 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½” chunks
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons of reserved bacon grease
15-20 sage leaves
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons of brown or Irish butter
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Warm oven to 400 degrees and cook off the bacon for 10-14 minutes depending on how thick your sliced bacon is. Set cooked bacon aside, draining off the extra fat.

Add potato chunks to large pot of boiling water and cook until fork tender, approximately 20 minutes. While potatoes are in progress, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter and fry up the sage until it is crispy. 1-2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.

By now, the potatoes are ready to mash. Once whipped, add in a smidgen of reserved bacon grease, the milk, the bourbon, and the brown and/or Irish butter. Mix until everything is combined. Taste the potatoes and add salt and pepper, seasoning more or less to your preference.

Place potatoes in a dish and top them with the crispy bacon, crumbled with your fingers and/or rough cut with kitchen scissors. If you’re waiting a bit to serve them, place in the oven on a warm 325-degree temp for a maximum of 25-30 minutes. Don’t forget to crumble the sage on top at the very end.

Bourbon Croissant Bread Pudding

Ingredients

6 small stale croissants
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons bourbon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, thoroughly whisked

Directions

Warm your oven to 350 degrees. Tear croissants into pieces and place into individual ramekins that have been hit with a touch of non-stick spray. Add the sugar and water into a sauce pan. Bring to a rapid boil—remember this is hot stuff. Turn the heat on low and add the heavy cream, bourbon, vanilla and pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and let cool. Slowly add the whisked eggs into the caramel. Pour mixture over croissant pieces in the individual ramekins. Bake for 15 minutes.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime recipe—holiday dessert or a stand-alone breakfast, the choice is yours.

Bourbon Brown Butter*

Melt a stick of butter in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. After the butter is melted, it will begin to foam and turn a blond color. A few more minutes and the foaming will subside and the milk solids will turn brown. Measure or eyeball a 1/4 cup of bourbon. Remove the skillet from the heat, and standing back, carefully add the bourbon. The mixture will sputter as the bourbon stops the milk solids in the butter from browning.

*Brown butter is known to French cuisine as beurre noisette. A type of warm sauce used to accompany savory foods and used in French pastry.

(Use this recipe to top the Cornish hens and yeast rolls.)

Aliases: Jeff Taylor, Old Fuzzy Face
Hobbies: Making Lists, Beard Grooming, Reindeer Games, Chimney Climbing, Expert Cookies and Milk Taste Tester

While we all know the real Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, he has plenty of substitutes out and about around the holidays—taking present requests and polling kids on their “naughty or nice” track record for the year.

A local Kris Kringle shares how he got into the role and why he looks forward to breaking out that red suit each year.

Did you always know you wanted to be Santa Claus?

When my daughter Season was about four or five years old, we asked her what she did at school. She said, “We talked about what we are going to be when we grow up. I said veterinarian or a ballerina.” She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I said, “Santa Claus.” Well, she is a vet tech now… and I’m Santa Claus. It worked out for both of us.

When did you first become Santa?

Back in the ’60s, I was working at a department store and their scheduled Santa got sick. They had a really expensive suit on hand and it fit me perfectly. I went into the hair department and they sprayed a white spray on my long beard. I was just a kid, a hippie with long hair and a beard, and I got to be Santa for a few days as a fill in—it was fun.

And did that experience sort of pique your interest?

I got to the point where I would fill in here and there. I filled in one weekend at River Ridge Mall a year or two after the mall opened. I did it as a joke for a winter fashion show in Lynchburg once. I filled in for folks in Lexington who couldn’t find a Santa for an event.

When did you decide to go all in?

Everybody kept telling me… “You need to do this, you need to do this.” So, two years ago, I went in full force. About two-thirds of my appearances in town are pro bono. I was also Santa in Jamaica at Beaches Resort last Christmas.

Maintaining your Santa status—that must take some effort!

Let’s put it this way, I have more products for my beard than I do for my hair. You really have to take care of it and groom it and trim it. I have a style team that helps me out as well.

Do you have any consistent things you tell children when they sit on your lap?

One thing I always tell kids is to brush their teeth. And I say, “If you need a new toothbrush, maybe I should bring you one.” I also hand out cards to kids to give to their parents so that mom and dad can get in touch with me if they misbehave.

What is your word of advice for those who don’t believe in Santa anymore?

Everybody is Santa Claus. When kids get older and don’t believe in Santa anymore, they should become Santa Claus. They should find somebody who needs something and do their best to get it for them without them knowing.

Behind the Scenes

We never know what the weather will be when scheduling Lynchburg Living photo shoots weeks in advance. Although it was a drizzly morning on October 10, the rain held off during our shoot outside of Daughters and Sons Pizza on 5th Street. Arnulfo Jacinto was there putting the finishing touches on his mural.

Jason Arbusto, owner of Daughters and Sons, says they were used to dealing with wet weather. “There would be only a 30 percent chance of rain and Arnulfo would be out there ready to paint. Then the sky would turn grey and it would pour down on him,” Arbusto explains.

According to Goodwin, it started pouring right after Jacinto completed his signature at the bottom of the mural.

Read about the numerous outdoor art projects on 5th Street starting on page 25!

By Danielle Verderame

The older we get, the more we need a little bit of help staying healthy with medications and/or supplements. Managing these medications can sometimes be tricky without guidance from professionals.

We spoke with local elder care experts about the best practices of medication management.

Their advice, plus some new advances in pharmaceutical services, can help you get organized… and stay that way.

DO plan ahead for medication refills.

The first step to managing medications? Set up a schedule for getting your refills.

As a clinic nurse, Carol Barker, LPN, assists Independent Living residents at The Summit, a 143-acre campus for retirees located in Wyndhurst. When asked about the top challenges for members of their community, Barker lists mobility and memory.

For seniors who may not have an easy way to access a pharmacy quickly, you need to schedule trips in advance. At The Summit, they remove this barrier by offering transportation to the pharmacy, medical appointments and errands.

DON’T be afraid to get some help remembering to take your meds.

Barker tells the story of a diabetic resident who struggled to take her medications correctly. To help, Barker set up a medication system “…that only allowed her to take her meds at a certain time and would alert her if she did not take them.”

As a result, the resident was able to live independently for a longer period of time.

For seniors who have several prescriptions to take, a plan to help you remember dosages and refills for medications is crucial. The Summit offers an in-house caregiver program to help residents with refills and other management practices.

DON’T keep medication in the bathroom cabinet.

“The bathroom cabinet is not a good place to store medications. Moisture and heat can affect drugs,” Barker says. Instead, she recommends finding a dry and temperature-controlled place to store your pills. Otherwise, the medication will lose potency.

Pills may be compromised if they have the following characteristics.

• Change in color

• Strange smell or taste

• Lose their form (crumbling, melting or clumping)

When in doubt, a pharmacist or doctor can help advise whether your medication needs to be replaced.

DO maintain a current list of medications.

Barker encourages their residents to keep a list of current medications, including over-the-counter medications. This means vitamins and supplements, too.

As she explains, “The hospital doesn’t always have a list.” Meaning, if you need urgent care, the list could prevent harmful interactions. Additionally, it can help doctors when diagnosing conditions by eliminating variables.

DON’T take medications straight from the bottle.

Recently, some pharmacies are offering “pill packs.” With this service, the pharmacist arranges the medications by day, not into separate bottles.

Then, you can simply open the package at the appropriate time. This helps you avoid the confusion of sorting out daily dosages for multiple medications.

DO ask about side effects.

While it can be intimidating to push your doctor to explain the details of your medications, it’s an important part of managing your health.

Elizabeth Nicely manages McGurk House, an affordable retirement community located near Lynchburg General Hospital. She has noticed many of their residents often don’t understand side effects or the importance of different dosages and instructions. “They often times end up placing themselves in dangerous situations because of the lack of knowledge of their own medication,” she says.

Learn to be your own advocate and work with the doctor to understand your prescriptions.

DON’T keep old or expired medications.

Properly disposing old or expired medications is the most responsible action.

“We try to remind our residents of the importance of taking medication correctly. Making sure medications are labeled in the correct way, and in a way that meets the needs of each individual resident, as well as the importance of proper disposal of medication that is expired or no longer being used,” Nicely says.

To properly dispose of medications, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes the following recommendations:

1. Medicine take-back programs are often provided by local law enforcement.

2. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts National Prescription Drug Take Back events with temporary collection sites.

3. Permanent collection sites can be found in some hospitals and clinics.

4. You can dispose in household trash after mixing with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds.

5. You can flush down the toilet if recommended on the prescription label. The FDA also keeps a list of medications that should be flushed immediately when they are no longer needed.

In most instances, your pharmacist can advise the safest way to dispose of your drugs.

Independent living starts with taking charge of your healthcare and prescriptions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek help from a professional. With these tips, managing your medication can be a less painful experience.

Learn more about The Summit at www.summitlynchburg.com.
Learn more about McGurk House at www.mcgurkhouse.org.

The Up-and-Coming 5th Street Pops with New Art Projects

By Jennifer Redmond | Photos by RJ GOODWIN

If you haven’t seen 5th Street lately, then you haven’t seen 5th Street.

While new storefronts are consistently opening, it’s the addition of several murals and public art that are really starting to steal the show. With the completion of the roundabout and city beautification efforts along the NW corridor (the stretch from Federal to Main), new businesses, eateries, coffee shops and even a health center have moved in over the course of the last few years. And along with their presence, many business owners are working to improve the aesthetics of the street as well.

“I want people to be looking up to the projects we have done and be inspired to do their own,” says Jason Arbusto, owner and chef of Daughters and Sons Pizza. Located on the corner of 5th and Madison, Arbusto’s shop had an older mural on its outside facing wall, but he wanted to “add something new and fresh to the neighborhood.”

Fortunately for Arbusto, it was his pizza that helped bring the mural to life. He envisioned a “vintage postcard…retro and iconic [that] could stand the test of time,” but needed an artist to “expand it and make it his own” and is also “someone who loves Lynchburg.” Then, one day, Arnulfo Jacinto and his wife Alisa came in to have some food, and in Arbusto’s words, they had “a special connection from the first conversation, and the project took wings from there.”

Jacinto (featured in the March/April 2018 issue of Lynchburg Living) says he immediately caught Arbusto’s vision of the “vintage postcard look” but also saw obstacles with the selected wall’s two windows; reconfiguring the layout made it possible to accommodate them into the spelling of “Downtown” by using each window to form the “Os” and still left plenty of room to sketch in the larger and more elaborate spelling of “Lynchburg” with block letters.

“We worked back and forth,” Arbusto says. “Tweaking the design and making modifications, but [Jacinto] had a lot of creative license…the process is the most fun part of it all, and we both love to collaborate.”

Into each of those block letters spelling “Lynchburg,” they wanted to incorporate icons of Lynchburg both past and present since the original post card that inspired Arbusto’s idea was from the 1940s and, as Jacinto says, “didn’t have any of the contemporary landmarks of today.”

Jacinto’s wife, Alisa, who has helped throughout the project, thought to ask a local Facebook group for their ideas on what to include and suggestions poured in. Jacinto says they incorporated most of them, which means the community members had key input. From the familiar—Monument Terrace, the Lynchburg Community Market, Point of Honor—to the newer— Amazement Square, Mama Crockett’s, the LOVE sign greeting visitors at Percival’s Island—the finished project is a distinctively Lynchburg mural.

“Public art is a reflection or our society; it tells us where we have been, who we are, and where we may be going,” Jacinto says. “Art is the window to our culture and heritage.”

Arbusto echoes Jacinto’s excitement for promoting public art—especially along the 5th Street corridor.

“The fruits of our labor are now paying off,” Arbusto says of the revitalization occurring on 5th Street. “The whole block where we are [Madison to Clay Street] has been developed, where as six months ago, there was nothing.” He dreams of the neighborhood “being riddled with street art everywhere,” creating a street that’s a “nice place to live and enjoy visually” while also becoming a dining and shopping destination similar to historic Scott’s Addition in Richmond.

Fortunately, other business owners are already coming along on both ends of the corridor. At the northeast corner of 5th and Federal, a mural of a caffeinated coffee drinker faces the traffic circle, beckoning them to join at 5th St. Grind.

“It represents the spirit of the shop,” says barista Joshua Sosin of the coffee shop that opened in the fall of 2017. “It’s cheerful, colorful, quirky.” Completed by artist Austin Santos in late August, Sosin says it seems like the “perfect fit since the shop is very art-forward.”

Grey’s, a new eatery closer to Main Street, had a mural of local legend and former astronaut Leland Melvin commissioned for a large inside wall. The image is a modern take on one of his official portraits for NASA, which is also the cover of his book Chasing Space. The image went viral a few years ago due to the rare and endearing inclusion of Melvin’s two rescue dogs.

And, on the corner of 5th and Court, Elise and Adam Spontarelli are working to make art part of the culture at Vector Space, a nonprofit makerspace and community workshop they co-founded in 2016.

“We are excited about the future of 5th Street,” Elise says, noting the “tremendous growth” of the corridor thus far. “Public art lets the neighborhood and the community know that people care about the area [because] art is inviting and a sign of life.”

Vector Space has an outdoor piece by Bartertown Bobby Fuller on the wall facing Court Street and Adam did a piece on the adjacent outside wall. After renovating the second floor of the building, Elise says Jacinto and Nugent Koscielny are both working on interior pieces to bring “color and visual interest to the space.”

Jacinto says Vector Space “promotes an amalgamation of art, machinery, and robotics” which has led to him focusing on the expansion of his “Rollerbot world,” a creative endeavor that really kicked off during the “Art on Main” event in 2017. Now, Jacinto has plans to include underwater and outerspace elements as he continues to develop the Rollerbots.

Elise says the art is a result of collaborative effort similar to Arbusto’s mural; “we are pretty open to the [artist’s] vision,” she says. “As a community space, we want to reflect the members of our community.”

Another element Arbusto and Jacinto both mentioned, in addition to more murals, is the possibility of sculptures and statues, one of which is currently in the works for the 5th and Federal traffic circle.

“I can imagine 5th Street being on the ‘go to’ list for tourists, locals and visitors to see all of the culture here,” Arbusto said.

Mural Checklist

Start at the corner of 5th and Federal, facing NW towards Main Street
• 5th St. Grind / coffee drinker
• Daughters and Sons Pizza / Greetings from Lynchburg
• Grey’s / Leland Melvin portrait (inside)
• Vector Space / multiple murals both inside and out

Lynchburg Landmarks

Some of the icons in the Daughters and Sons Mural facing Madison Street include:

Vector Space
Blackwater Creek Bikeway
James River Geyser
Amazement Square
Community Market
LOVE sign
Point of Honor
Awareness Garden
Mama Crockett’s
Old City Cemetery
Joseph Nichols’ Tavern
Craddock Terry Hotel
Randolph College
The Blue Ridge Mountains
Doughboy Statue
Academy Center of the Arts
3 local high schools
5 local theatres

Mark Your Calendars November/December

Turkey Trot 5K
Nov. 22

Before you put on your fat pants for Thanksgiving dinner, strap on your running shoes for this annual event to benefit HumanKind. The family-friendly run/walk starts at E.C. Glass High School bright and early at 8 a.m.—so you have plenty of time to get home and back to the kitchen.

Virginia Christmas Spectacular
Nov. 30-Dec. 2

From dazzling lights to precision dancing, this iconic Thomas Road Baptist Church performance has been a holiday attraction in Central Virginia for more than four decades. This year’s show is “Christmas Comes to Love”—centering around a small town called Love Valley that is not lacking in Christmas spirit. Find ticket and show time information at trbc.org/vcs/.

Celebration of Lights
Dec. 7-31

You don’t have to burn up a tank of gas to enjoy some twinkling holiday lights—Lynchburg Parks and Rec has made it easy with this free, drive-through attraction. It opens nightly in Riverside Park and includes light displays from various businesses and organizations.

Lynchburg Christmas Parade
Dec. 2

Local organizations and businesses will show off their best floats in this 59th annual Hill City event with a “Home for the Holidays” theme. Bring the family to Memorial Avenue at 4 p.m. and be prepared to leave feeling in the Christmas spirit.

Charlottesville Ballet presents: The Nutcracker
Dec. 15

What better way to celebrate the newly opened Historic Academy of Music Theatre than with this classic fairy tale ballet featuring Clara and her magical nutcracker doll? Local dancers join Charlottesville Ballet’s professional company onstage with live music by the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra. Find show times and ticket information at academycenter.org.

Local Openings & Closings

Hello! to BitterSweet Boutique on Fifth Street.

Hello! to BUNNS Gourmet Hot Dogs in Madison Heights.

Hello! to Meeples, a board game café in Cornerstone.

Hello! to In The Attic, featuring products by local artisans, in Forest.

Goodbye to Dickey’s Barbecue Pit on Wards Road.

Goodbye to Steak and Shake on Candlers Mountain Road.

Hello! to Wyndhurst Salon in Wyndhurst.

Vintage Meets Modern in “The Christmas Elf’s” Colorful Home

By Charlotte A. F. Farley | photos by Heather Kidd

On a quiet street in a secluded Boonsboro neighborhood, a white center-hall Colonial with black shutters presents the perfect background for colorful Christmas decorations. Blue lights drape over tree branches and Kelly Green bows wrap the light pole and add the final touch to an evergreen wreath.

These fun escapes from traditional red and green have appeared throughout Carter Bendall’s home ever since she and her husband Richard purchased it nearly four years ago. “We have retouched every single surface,” she explains. The Bendalls have created a lively, traditional, and comfortable home for themselves and their daughter, Lawson, and Carter creates especially memorable scenery for the holidays.

Contemporary geometric wallpaper serves as the backdrop for treasured antiques in the front hallway. A hot pink Christmas tree bedecked in silver bells lives atop a small antique half-moon console, and an otherwise traditional swag cloaks the banister, filled with ornaments in shades of cobalt, fuchsia, red, and robin’s egg blue.

In this space, and throughout her home, Carter combines her passion for all things vintage with her love for color and pattern—and it works. Carter painted her living room a cheery shade of robin’s egg blue and hung sunny coral draperies on the window. “When my mother helped me with this room, she said that her mother—and this would have been in the 60s—did the same exact colors,” Carter admits.

Carter added some charm to the space through the purchase of her faux mantelpiece.

“Because this house was built in the 1990s, there wasn’t any architectural interest, so we went to an antique mall in Staunton and picked up this bad boy, and we have scraped [off] I cannot tell you how many layers of paint.”

A vivid garland of magenta and tangerine glass balls sprawls across the mantel—another juxtaposition of vintage meets modern. Three stockings hang from the fireplace: one for Carter, one for her husband Richard, and one for their daughter Lawson. A thin white tabletop tree provides the perfect perch for faux peacocks, canaries, and cardinals that add whimsy and color. In the corner, pink, teal, and red accessories enliven a full-sized white tree, and a few oversized ornaments dress up the window.

Across the hall from the living room, a dining room with saffron-colored walls transforms into what the Bendalls jokingly refer to as “the forest” thanks to Carter’s tasteful displays filled with her bottlebrush tree collection. She’s been gathering them for years. “Whenever I see them, I buy them. Half are vintage, and half are from what I find at Target.”

One vignette serves as a centerpiece; another dwells on the sideboard. The myriad bottlebrush trees range in hue from traditional green to gold, pink, and teal, and some are even snowy, frosted trees with miniature decorations. Two small Christmas trees top the china cabinet, which also receives the holiday treatment—Carter fills pieces of silver, porcelain, and crystal with small decorative baubles. Additional ornaments dangle from the chandelier and sconces.

Enter through the kitchen and you’ll notice a series of Virginia landscapes that Carter found at the annual Lynchburg Art Festival. Even this room finds itself dressed for the holidays as Carter places a few mini trees on the island.

Carter incorporates more traditional Christmas décor in the den. Presents sit under a tall, full green tree adorned in silver, gold, and pinecones. The theme carries over onto the mantel’s pinecone trees and lush garland. “We live in here, and this is where Santa comes,” Carter points out. A complete nutcracker army lines the top shelf of built-in bookcases, remnants from when Carter’s mother owned a flower shop. “She sold Christmas decorations, too,” Carter explains. “That’s one way I got into it—I would go with my mom to market in Atlanta and help her pick out ornaments.”

As she recalls, it all started with those ornaments. “I remember being dragged in and out of antique stores, and my mother found a way to get me excited about [those shopping trips] when she noticed that I seemed to like Christmas ornaments, so I started collecting them as a kid. From about third grade on, I did all of our Christmas decorations in our house—I’d decorate the tree, I’d do the mantel, and I just loved it.”

Carter truly has a lifetime of experience in holiday decorating, which is evident through her tasteful displays and careful consideration of placement, color, and overall design. Even though she has a huge bounty of decorations stored in the garage, the decor doesn’t feel like it’s too much—
it all reads vibrant and happy. In fact, she’s developed such an excellent reputation for holiday decorating that others have asked her for help.

As “The Christmas Elf,” Carter helps people decorate their homes for the holidays.

“I just love doing it. I do their trees, I do their mantel, I do their tables,” she explains.

She’s even been asked to shop for extra decorations, which she loves doing. From estate sales to Target and every place in between, Carter shops around. One of her favorite places to find treasures, however, is a locally-owned shop. “My buddy Troy Deacon owns High Cotton, and he’s always got cute things in there,” she says. Whether hanging greens or browsing for centerpiece items, Carter offers a complete service, including “un-decorating.” “I take it all down, put it up in the attic, and they’re done with it!”

In her own home, Carter begins decorating on Black Friday and finishes within a week—and she points out “that’s not full-time!”(Carter works part-time as a nurse.)
She admits that by the time Christmas comes, she’s “pretty much done with it,” so she begins disassembling the décor the day after Christmas, explaining that her grandmother was always superstitious about getting it down by the New Year. “That is always my target, to get it down by New Years,” she says.

It’s no easy task when you consider that she also has various themed trees throughout the house. The guest room contains a souvenir tree; another room showcases a UVA tree (Carter’s an alumna). A frog tree and a paper mâché angel tree make appearances, too.

Upstairs, even Lawson’s bathroom has a themed tree: Lilly Pulitzer ornaments float beside the theme du jour, which is whatever Lawson’s interests are at the time. “I’ve got a couple of themes I kind of rotate through but Lawson’s tree is always the same and has plush ornaments, and I just like to mix things up,” Carter says.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Lawson decorates her room’s tree herself, choosing plush ornaments. “Lawson does her tree because all of the decorations are plush, so she can get in there, and she’ll do what she can reach!” Carter laughs. Even the nativity set in her room is plush. The room is absolutely charming, with two reupholstered twin beds (a find from a Langhorne Road estate sale) and a yellow floral rug reminiscent of Scandinavian folk patterns, which is another memento from her mother’s store. “I love to antique, I love to go to junk stores. I remember being dragged, and my poor daughter gets dragged now!” she says with a smile. Like her mother, Carter has found a way to engage her daughter’s interest while out on “hunting” trips. “Lawson loves snow globes,” she says, “She’s gotten into that. That’s kind of her contribution into things.”

Carter calls herself “The Christmas Elf,” and she couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate name. It takes an elf of sorts—or a figure with magical powers—to set such a scene for memory making, and Carter has done that very thing so well as she has embraced traditions, found ways to make them her own, and passed that love down along the way.

with this Festive Bucket List of Virginia Destinations

By Grace Silipigni

From a holiday performance at a 20th-century theatre to an enchanted adventure down Candy Cane Lane, Virginia is not lacking in Christmas spirit. Of the thousands of events taking place across the state this holiday season, we’ve uncovered the five most festive attractions that are sure to fill you and your family with holiday cheer. An added bonus? What sets these destinations apart from others in the state are their remarkable histories. Each site boasts hundreds of years of Christmas traditions that introduce visitors to the spirit of Christmas past.

Colonial Williamsburg is beaming with Christmas cheer and myriad historic happenings. The 17th-century drive of E. Duke of Gloucester Street is dotted with modestly decorated taverns and homes that glow beneath the fiery embers of sidewalk lanterns.

On December 2, the entire settlement is set ablaze with gun smoke and extravagant firework displays from the Governor’s Palace, the Magazine and the Capitol. Trust us, this Grand Illumination is a Williamsburg tradition worth traveling for.

Farther down what the locals call “DoG Street” is Charlton’s Coffeehouse. On select Thursdays and Sundays throughout December, the former watering hole hosts evening caroling sessions for Williamsburg visitors.

The musical merriment continues in Merchant Square as popular Christmas songs ring loudly through the speakers that border the square’s outdoor skating rink. Colonial enthusiasts of all ages can enjoy hours of ice skating in Williamsburg’s historic center.

We recommend seeking reprieve from the December chill in Aromas World with a piping hot pour of their signature Oyster Point White Mocha. For non-coffee drinkers, afternoon tea at the luxurious Williamsburg Inn is also a must. Their scratch-made scones rival those of even the greatest pastry chefs in
Williamsburg history.

Our Festive Favorite:
Buy a commemorative Colonial Williamsburg ornament from The Christmas Shop in Merchant’s Square.

Just outside Washington D.C.’s metropolitan area lie the red brick sidewalks of Old Town Alexandria. While these riverfront walkways exude charm all year long, they appear particularly enchanting come December.

The first weekend of December is particularly busy for Old Town as it hosts its annual two-day Scottish Walk Parade, complete with bagpipes, drums and Santa Claus, as well as the merry and bright Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights.

As the parade festivities wind down, grab a wintery latte from Misha’s Coffeehouse & Roaster and embark on a self-guided tour of Old Town’s cheerfully decorated restaurants, homes and boutiques. King Street, in particular, presents holiday visitors with a host of Christmas-inspired goods. At the top of our shopping list is the annual 116 King Holiday Pop Up, which introduces festive fashions from Northern Virginia’s emerging designers.

Surrounding King Street are blocks of rowhomes merrily embellished with wreaths, candles and twinkling white lights. During the Historic Alexandria Candlelight Tour, you’ll discover that these historic residences are not only inhabited by locals, but by seasonal spirits that have dwelled in Old Town for centuries.

Our Festive Favorite:
Sample a Christmas cocktail at Captain Gregory’s on N. Henry Street.

Never underestimate the thrill of a quintessential small-town Christmas. Year after year, Abingdon is recognized as one of Virginia’s top Christmas towns for its holiday farmers markets, dazzling Main Street and handful of cozy eateries.

The historic 1930s Barter Theatre is arguably one of the most highly revered Christmas attractions in all of Abingdon. Thirteen years after its construction in 1933, the Barter Theatre was deemed the State Theatre of Virginia and has been home to some of the Commonwealth’s greatest holiday performances ever since. Included in this winter’s holiday line-up are musical renditions of two Christmas favorites, “ELF” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” as well as daily theatrical performances of “Wooden Snowflakes” and the adults-only “Santaland Diaries.”

A pre- or post-show stroll down Abingdon’s Main Street should also be high on your to-do list. Explore the many boutiques, galleries and artisan restaurants nestled into the town’s 18th-century structures.

Need a place to stay? Abingdon’s Martha Washington Inn & Spa has our vote. The bygone residence of General Francis Preston is now a premier Virginia hotel that manifests into a 19th-century winter wonderland every December. Imbibe a port cocktail by the lobby’s roaring fireplace or rise early for Martha’s signature holiday brunch.

Our Festive Favorite:
Join weekend carolers for a Christmas sing-a-long in Main Street’s Town Park.

Since 1893, James and Sallie Dooley have opened their Victorian residence to Maymont visitors for an expansive holiday feast. The stone mansion is spectacularly decorated with ornate garland, red ribbon, poinsettia bouquets and a 12-foot Christmas tree embellished with hundreds of antique ornaments. You can even experience the holiday preparations first-hand at Maymont’s wreath decorating class in the Stone Barn.

Maymont visitors can tour the Dooley estate by foot or board a horse-drawn carriage for a ride around the grounds. We also recommend the Maymont by Moonlight tour to witness the park in all of its Christmas glory with glimmering lights, blazing bonfires and cheery carols.
If you can’t make the moonlight tour, no need to worry—the mansion rings with jingle bells and Christmas music throughout the entire holiday season.

Our Festive Favorite:
Travel 10 minutes into Downtown Richmond to see the extraordinary Christmas display at the historic Jefferson Hotel.

Nestled in the Shenandoah Valley is a whimsical Candy Cane Lane complete with oversized gingerbread figures, giant candy canes, friendly reindeer and a neighboring Toyland. Firepits fit for marshmallow roasting and hot chocolate sipping boast specular views of the valley’s surrounding mountain tops. All this and more await at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs.

Every year, the historic retreat hosts Holiday at the Homestead, a month-long celebration of everything Christmas. In addition to their expansive Christmas village and s’mores stop, the Homestead invites resort guests to partake in its resort-wide sing-a-longs and a cappella performances.

For those willing to brave the Bath County cold, the Homestead also offers skiing lessons for first-time slope riders and other snow activities for Hot Springs’ littlest visitors. Embark on the Homestead Holiday Express Hayride too, and experience a magical ride through the resort’s wintery forest.

Bedtime stories with Santa’s Elves are our favorite way to close a day of Christmas fun. Classic Christmas tales are shared nearly every evening in the regal Washington Library.

Our Festive Favorite:
Snap a photo in front of the Great Hall Christmas Tree picked from Avery County, North Carolina, the Christmas Tree Capital of the World.

YMCA partners with the VA to offer therapeutic yoga program for veterans battling PTSD

By Drew Menard | Photos by Ashlee Glen

The sacrifice of our American heroes in defending freedom goes beyond the time and distance of service, and the physical offering of their bodies, be it through blood, sweat and even lives. In protecting our country, many soldiers have carried home with them an unseen burden—scars of the mind.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that some 10-20 percent of veterans are affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or PTSD-like symptoms after returning from military service. As high as 31 percent of Vietnam veterans are afflicted by PTSD.

PTSD symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, include persistent, distressing memories, hopelessness, negative thinking, irritability, trouble sleeping, self-destructive behavior and overwhelming guilt.

In cooperation with Lynchburg’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) office, the Downtown YMCA established a Yoga for Warriors program to help veterans who have suffered physical or emotional trauma as a result of military service and combat deployment.

There are close to 25,000 veterans in the Central Virginia region and their struggles “should not be ignored,” explained Kathy Thomas, Director of Healthy Living for YMCA of Central Virginia. “Research shows that programs like Yoga for Warriors at the Downtown YMCA can help individuals build physical, mental and emotional stamina to overcome issues caused by combat or non-combat trauma experiences.”

A group of veterans first presented the idea to the Y last summer and a pilot program for 10 veterans was held that fall. Since then, a yearlong program has launched with approximately 19 active participants in 2018.

“This was a grassroots effort of veterans working in our community to help other veterans heal and recover from PTSD,” Thomas said. “The YMCA and the VA have the tools and skills to be of service and we are grateful to be participating with veteran groups to support the program.”

Participants are recommended by the VA after undergoing proper medical care and group counseling sessions.

“YMCA Yoga for Warriors helps veterans who have experienced traumatic events during active military service deployments and are working to overcome physical, mental and emotional issues remaining from the experiences,” YMCA Yoga for Warriors Instructor Gary Sullivan said. “Trauma builds up in the body and has a detrimental effect on mental and emotional stability. In the yoga program, we work together to restore peace of mind and recover physical capabilities needed for active daily living.”

Sullivan evaluates the individual needs of each veteran and works with them to establish personal improvement goals over the course of the 12-month program.

“Yoga poses and movements help strengthen and stretch the body to overcome physical limitations, while restoring range of motion without pain,” Sullivan said. “Our goal is to achieve the full pain-free range of motion available to the body. We build strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and physical stamina in each class.”

Weekly small group sessions provide the tools and instruction to help veterans reach their goals.

“The weekly yoga class at the YMCA allows the individuals to participate together in physical exercises and mind body techniques to eliminate stress and anxiety,” Sullivan explained. “These include breathing techniques and yoga to relax the body, quiet the mind and restore present awareness.”

The rest of the week, participants are encouraged to continue the prescribed practices daily and Sullivan is available to evaluate and encourage them along the way.

“Each participant has reported steady progress, including weight loss, improved strength, better flexibility with better balance and physical coordination,” Thomas said. “The program has helped reduce physical pain and improved emotional stability as well.”

Mark Davis said he joined the program for stress relief after learning about it from a fellow veteran at a medical clinic in Lynchburg.

“Participating in this program has helped me with increasing the range of motion of my right arm and has helped with other physical limitations,” he said, noting he still must proceed with caution due to the nature of his injuries.

The best part of the program, he said, has been the positive, supportive community.

“Connecting with fellow veterans has been helpful to me all the way around,” Davis said. “Participating in the program has turned out to be a very positive experience for me after years of being mostly housebound due to physical limitations and illness, both mental and physical. I am grateful to Gary for all he has done.”

Robert Clay joined the Y with his wife in January, hoping to spark a healthier lifestyle.

“I had struggled with my weight and pain management since leaving the Marine Corps,” Clay, who served from 1997-2003, recalled.

He learned about the program after chatting with his spin class instructor, who happened to be Sullivan, one day.

“The guys in the group are fantastic and it’s nice to revisit the bond that I shared with my fellow Marines,” he said. “I also appreciate the different approach to managing my lifestyle goals that Gary coaches us on. He is also very willing to help everyone on a one-on-one basis if more is required.

“Physically, I have lost almost 25 pounds and I feel much more flexible,” Clay continued. “I also have a very high stress job and the emotional release that yoga helps me achieve is better, in my mind, than any prescription medication that a doctor can prescribe.”

Vietnam veteran Steve Bozeman served as a Marine helicopter mechanic and machine gun door gunner, experiencing many near-death situations.

“I saw enough carnage to last a lifetime,” he said.

Bozeman, who has two Purple Hearts and 18 Air Medals, struggled after his service ended, but found solace in exercise.

“When I was discharged from the Marines in 1970, I would put my combat boots on and go up to the local high school track and jog about 3 to 5 miles to help deal with the stresses of Vietnam,” Bozeman described. “Didn’t know it at the time, but … tens of thousands of other Vietnam veterans were dealing with the same stresses. It was called, ‘Vietnam Syndrome’ back then.”

Today, the syndrome is understood as PTSD.

Bozeman is very active in the local veterans community and was among the first group of yoga warriors.

“I have lost about 8 pounds and I know at age 72 that doing yoga will help me be more flexible and strengthen my core and muscles,” he said. “I feel more in the ‘present’ with my mind and body while doing yoga, blocking out all the ‘stuff’ that clutters the mind.”

Part of the initial grassroots effort, Bozeman has been actively promoting the program to other veterans.

“The other veterans, I’m sure, are seeing the same benefits and want to support each other, knowing the camaraderie we shared in the military is not over—it continues for a lifetime,” he said. “Gary Sullivan has been the perfect person for this as he does an excellent job leading us through the warm ups, stretches and encouraging us to do more as we warm up. But he also stresses to not do anything that hurts and stop at that point.

“The highlight is at the end of the hour of stretches and yoga movements that we can lay on our backs stretched out on our mats and start to relax and get into some mindful meditation for 10 to 15 minutes.”

Sullivan said it is rewarding to see the veterans achieving their goals.

“It takes commitment on their part to do the work, but the results are amazing,” he said. “We build lasting friendships and support one another. I have seen life-changing results and am truly grateful for each one of those who join our program.”