This was our first year participating in the area’s Christmas Cookie Tour.  As one of the dozen inns, B & Bs, and hotels in the tour we felt privileged to be a part of what is becoming a popular event.  Even so we wondered how this would all work out.  After all, we are a fairly small establishment, situated up in the woods at the top of a hill.  Our driveway, while paved, is single-lane.  How would we manage the fourteen hundred visitors that come from all over Ohio and neighboring states?

Holmes County is blessed to have a Chamber of Commerce that gives high priority to the needs of their members along with the needs of the many visitors they bring to the area.  The committee planning the cookie event foresaw every eventuality, making it a fun time for innkeepers and tour participants alike.  They provided shuttle service for tour participants, preventing traffic snarls up and down the driveway.  They called for road crews when the road became icy.  And they scoured the community for  volunteers when we ran short of help.

The whole event was permeated with a holiday atmosphere that kept us all, at Ferngully, in the Christmas Spirit the whole month of December.  We received input from those on the tour that was both positive and helpful. Many visitors expressed surprise that we exist; even people who live close by were unaware.  The downside to being tucked up into the woods is that potential guests don’t realize we are here.  The upside is that we are a perfect place to escape life for a few days to rest and rejuvenate.  Several who discovered us that weekend have already booked their time-slot at Ferngully.

What does the New Year hold for us?  Hopefully meeting new friends and hearing from old ones.  We wish for you and yours a year of making new memories filled with peace and joy!