Victoria

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Phyllis Hoffman DePiano EDITOR Jordan Marxer Millner MANAGING EDITOR Melissa Lester ASSOCIATE EDITOR Karen Callaway ASSISTANT EDITOR Leslie Bennett Smith SENIOR COPY EDITOR Rhonda Lee Lother EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Kassidy Abernathy CONTR

In Shepherds Abiding, our final Victoria Classics Book Club selection for 2021, Jan Karon makes this astute observation: “Indeed, it seemed to be the wont of most people in a distracted and frantic world to blast through an experience without savorin

Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Take a closer look at some of our favorite November/December features: Christmastime offers the perfect opportunity for the owners of this Georgian charme

When I was young, we lived in a wonderful, rambling Victorian. I loved my bedroom at the top of the stairs, with its hardwood floors, gabled ceiling, and tiny Juliet balcony. My mother sewed beautifully, but arthritis made it too difficult for her to

After staying close to home for the last year, she plans to safely channel her desire for travel and culture through her decorations and celebrations. She’s also continuing a family tradition that began when her boys were young, one that embraces her

British accents take on a decidedly Southern drawl in Franklin’s annual Dickens of a Christmas, an event that celebrates its 36th anniversary this year. With the town’s historic district as the enchanting setting, favorite characters featured in A Ch

SEE RECIPE INDEX, PAGE 99, FOR RECIPE INFORMATION. ■

Long before the first poinsettia heralds the arrival of the season, there is an interesting botanical subterfuge going on in the basement beneath a cottage on horticulturist Henry Francis du Pont’s former Wilmington, Delaware, estate, which now funct

When Bonnie McIlvaine moved from her native Pennsylvania to the sunny climes of California, she purchased a “little tumble-down concrete-block house” in the city of Vista. Since the half-acre property was zoned for horses, she fulfilled a childhood w

View this collection of sterling keepsakes at victoriamag.com. ■

While it’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, when to-do lists often outweigh our patience, children have a way of reminding us of the simple joys of the season. A miniature nutcracker tied to this year’s package becomes a mem

Huntsville, Alabama, residents Jennifer and Mitchell Britt spent years looking for a house in the city’s downtown district before coming across a classic Georgian that won their hearts in 1981. “When we walked through the back door and I saw that sta

Likely deriving from a trowel-shaped instrument used to serve traditional puddings, the utensils used for doling out slices of pie, cake, and even pastry all utilize a smooth triangular blade, sometimes with a serrated edge or a small bend at the han

SEE RECIPE INDEX, PAGE 99, FOR RECIPE INFORMATION. ■

Remove from heat, and stir in flaked coconut, pecans, and vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. ■

Pages 13–14: Jan Karon is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of twenty-five books. The Mitford Museum in Hudson, North Carolina, pays tribute to the novelist and her beloved Mitford series. To learn more about Jan, visit her website at mitford

I raced into the garage, got into my car, and followed her all the way to school, just in case. As I was driving back home, I realized what great courage my dad had possessed when he allowed me to pedal off that morning so long ago. I wondered how he

When I was writing a Mitford novel, the story often ended at Christmastime. This wasn’t precisely intentional—it’s just that the ending moved naturally to a celebration of Beginning. After the long and sometimes rocky road of writing a book, a Mitfor