Saturday night, in true Hamptons style, we kicked off Christmas with the Lighting of the Vines at Wölffer Estate. This was the 10th anniversary of the Charity Wreath Auction to benefit The Retreat, a wonderful organization that provides safety, shelter and support to victims of domestic abuse. Some wreaths were made by local celebrities such as Donna Karan of Urban Zen and Live with Kelly and Ryan as well as local floral decorators, one more magnificent than the last! The holiday decor was spectacular. Mr. and Mrs. Clause arrived in a candy apple red convertible, bags of presents spilling over in the back seat. I swear they were direct from the North Pole- very authentic! A fabulous band played Christmas songs all night. At one point, the very talented winemaker Roman Roth took the stage and played Mele Kalikimaka on his ukulele. Color me impressed!
Finally came the countdown to the lighting of the vines, the main event! We counted down from 10,9,8.. until the vineyard lit up like magic. It was stunning, everyone took off down the rows of grapevines frolicking amongst the fairy-like lights. I attended with my daughter and we both had a wonderful time getting into the holiday spirit. It’s pretty special to live in this beautiful place but even more so to partake in these events, especially when they are for such a good cause. The spirit of Christmas was alive on the East End of Long Island!
When you drive by and you see those lights lit up in the vines remember that they were powered by some loving people doing great deeds! I hope this inspires you to light up someone else’s Christmas!
Cheers, always be merry!