Holiday Memories

We asked members of the Blackberry team about a favorite holiday moment – one that created a tradition they still continue today or one that they cherish from holiday celebrations in their childhood. They shared some of their favorite memories, from family trips to time around the table.

“Every year, we would travel into Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to see the lights and visit the Christmas stores. When I was around 10 or 11 years old, my grandmother took my sister and me to the Precious Moments store in Gatlinburg to buy a doll that came with a Christmas stocking. While we were there, a huge snow storm started to hit! We barely made it back to Maryville before all the roads were covered. Now, even almost 30 years later, I’ll always remember that trip.”

—Garrick Henderson, Staffing Coordinator at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain

“On Christmas morning, my family and I will wake up and head over to my Mamaw’s house for breakfast and to open gifts from her. We then head home and begin making Christmas dinner for more family to come over later in the day. We typically ask them to bring some kind of dish to help my mom out a bit since she makes such a big meal for everyone already. After, we pass around gifts from everyone who came, open them and enjoy time as a family. Once everyone is gone, my parents and I open up our gifts from each other in private. We have those under the Mickey Mouse themed tree that has been a traditional Christmas item since I was around 6 or 7.”

—Bridget Ledbetter, Firetower Bartender at Blackberry Mountain

“When I was younger, I always loved seeing the Living Christmas Tree in Thompson Bowling Arena with my family.”

—Holley Hatch, Human Resources Coordinator at Blackberry Farm

“My family has never been big on gifts, and coming from a military family, we moved around a lot. Instead, we focus on giving each other things that would encourage us to appreciate time well spent together: a game, an activity or a special food/wine setup. (We are Italian, so “non-food” does not exist in our world.) Our tradition, I guess, was always making it different and keeping it interesting.”

—Keith Comiso, Senior Lodging Manager at Blackberry Mountain

“The day after Thanksgiving, my family would go pick out a Christmas tree to decorate together. My mom used to always bake fresh cookies in the morning. We’d get the tree and decorate it, and then we would watch Christmas movies all day to help get into the Christmas spirit. Good ole times!”

—Sofia Kovacic, Wellhouse Spa Supervisor at Blackberry Farm

What traditions do you share with your friends and family around the holiday season?