Sipping a pipping hot drink while strolling the cheerily decorated and festive grounds of a late 19th century Queen Anne style manse overlooking Narragansett Bay? The only answer to that question mark, as far as I’m concerned, is absolutely!

Just bought 2 tix to Night Lights — An Illuminating Experience, a mini series of open air, Christmassy events at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum in Bristol, kicking off after Thansgiving, and I’m elated at the prospect of wandering the paths there with hot chocolate from @RICRuisinCocktails in hand.

Now, at first, I thought this was going to be a trees wrapped up in strings of lights situation, but nope, nada, no way! The team at Blithewold have grander plans this year, ones that apparently include some amazing installations that sound tailor made for Instagram, Reels, and such. (Can I get a woo-hoo?) I hear they have designed not only custom light displays, but also selfie and virtual reality stops and stations.

They also have scavenger hunts for the kiddos and I really want to circle back to that hot drink menu, especially because that makes all the difference on chilly evening outings. Yep, in addition to wintertime classics like hot toddys or Irish coffee, the folks at RCC are also bringing a pretty family-friendly selection of warming beverages such as non-alcoholic hot cider, coffee, hc, and more.

So, if you’re looking to get into the spirit of the season but keep any and all merriment outdoors and socially distanced rn, you’ll want to go over to Blithewold.org to grab tix. Not to be a drama queen or anything, but I strongly believe these Sunday and Wednesday night Xmas celebrations will sell out. I mean, you just know all the IG bloggers are gonna be hitting purchase on these tickets once word about those selfie stations gets out.