When Daniel Higgins and his partner, Sean Weber, first laid eyes on the Orrington, Maine, house they now call home, something finally clicked. For years, they engaged in a real estate tug-of-war, with Daniel wanting to live in the country and Sean preferring an urban locale. They admit to exhausting their agent by touring over 50 properties in Penobscot County near Bangor. But this house, located on 3½ acres near a nature preserve, represented a welcome compromise. “You’d never know it’s five minutes from the city,” Daniel says.
As the holidays approach, Daniel, Sean and their four children couldn’t be happier with their decision to embrace the country idyll. “Maine is comprised of small towns, country fields, high-top mountains and coastal routes. Maine at Christmas is a wonder all on its own,” Daniel explains. “We have close-knit communities made
