Old Westbury Gardens toasts holidays in style

Max Zahn
Over the month of December, the rooms at the Old Westbury House were bedecked with Christmas decorations.

Even magnanimous hosts can grow weary this time of year, as holiday visitors fill living rooms and empty pantries.

Not so for the staff at Old Westbury Gardens, an early 20th-century mansion that welcomed 2,700 community members for a series of holiday events in December.

“The holidays at Old Westbury Gardens are a really special time,” said Nancy Costopulos, the president and CEO of the organization. “We decorate the fireplaces and mantles, put trees and poinsettias in the large rooms and have Santa Claus here during public hours.”

Events kicked off with a fundraising dinner in the mansion’s red ballroom on Dec. 2, when approximately 100 attendees previewed the decorations and donated to help cover the mansion’s operating costs and preservation, Costopulos said.

The first public gathering, called First Night, came the following evening, when as many as 300 people drank apple cider, ate Christmas cookies and watched a ceremonial tree lighting behind the mansion, Costopulos said.

“I’m grateful the weather cooperated in almost every way,” she said. “It made the First Night evening so much more wonderful for our visitors.”

The next evening, a Sunday, the Gardens held Nannies Night, a children’s event for which volunteers dress like early 20th-century nannies and conduct arts and crafts workshops in the property’s kitchens.

Over the ensuing weeks, the Gardens held two tea times per day on Mondays through Thursdays, each of which sold out. Visitors drank tea, ate scones and toured the mansion.

On weekends, the Gardens welcomed visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to eat cookies, drink cider, tour the property and spend time with Santa Claus.

A chocolate tasting took place on Dec. 9, when as many as 80 people sampled various chocolates and wines.

Costopulos joined the Gardens last December after working as the chief marketing officer at a Chicago-based nonprofit called the American Marketing Association.

“Last year it was such a whirlwind just getting up to speed in the new position,” she said. “There were more events this year.”

Old Westbury Gardens, built in 1906 by English designer George A. Crawley, is the former home of John S. Phipps, an heir to the Phipps family fortune made from the Carnegie Steel Company.

The Gardens had 71,000 visitors in 2016, of whom 2,700 came in December, Costopulos said.

The mansion has held Christmas events for at least the last 20 years.

“And it’s likely longer than that,” Costopulos said.

But she and the Gardens are not resting on their Christmas laurels.

“We’re thinking about extending our holiday season next year so folks can come over Thanksgiving weekend,” Costopulos said. “It’s a nice time for people to get started with the holidays.”

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