Holly Jolly Brawley 2025

46°f/7.8°C, overcast and windy.

This is the 4th year for Holly Jolly Brawley, and our 4th year attending. The basic idea doesn't change, but each year companies and organizations outdo themselves in the decorated tree contest. From that basic idea, the event has grown to include many activities for children, a dance contest, marketplace, food trucks, and this year even a zipline and a drone show.

Now, we are generally not fans of crowds, but the joy at this event is contagious, and it is such a pleasure to be among so many happy people.

I have no idea who this big creature is---from a Disney movie, maybe?--- but Larry zeroed in on it immediately. I guess it struck his funny bone! I took photos for some young women, then another young lady offered to take our photo. It was hard to make Larry stand still long enough! Yep, he is definitely recovered!

Some very cool bouncy houses for the kids.

And another photo op setup, which the littlest ones loved.

But my favorite, always is the trees! 

I liked the message on this one.

This one was crazy-looking, but certainly drew the eye. 

Check out this overloaded beauty! This one is by the WV Golf Association.  Who knew there was such an organization? Not me.

"Don't shoot your eye out!" That was the message on this tree by an eye care company, a take-off of the movie A Christmas Story.

The Grinch was there on several trees.

We spotted our friend Lynne's son, Rafael Barker, set up for photo shoot sessions. He's quite an amazing portrait photographer and we thought about getting a photo done, but it was quite crowded, and we hadn't really dressed for it. We couldn't even say hello, he was so busy! 

Meanwhile, along the street restaurants were SRO, but this braids and hair shop went about their business as usual.

Even the dogs got in on the festivities.  There were quite a few well-behaved canines on leads. I asked one guy how he kept his dog from peeing on the trees, and he admitted it was a struggle. We both laughed at the idea that if that happened, it might short out the whole show! 

The marketplace tent was a very busy place. I bought some tea (as a gift) and earrings (for me!), but i gave up trying to get all the way through.

The large sculptures were still there, towering over the crowd.

Then it was time for the drone show.  I had never seen one, so didn't know what to expect. We ran into some Joe's Run neighbors as we waited for the show to begin. So funny, with all these people, to find ourselves standing beside Amy and James.

Only in West Virginia will you find Mothman riding on Santa's sleigh.

The lights around the Capitol dome twinkled, so pretty.

And of course, the jolly elf himself! I can see that this technology is going to explode into some very intricate shows in the future.

The dog sculpture beside the banjo man sculpture looked a little confused by all the hullabaloo.

We tried to eat at a couple breweries but it was impossible to find a seat, so we stopped at a not busy wings and calzone place, had some wings and a salad, and ran into another friend, musician extraordinaire Pete Kosky. How nice that was! Then we walked over to Taylor Book Store, where a live band was playing, for wine and beer and a little Christmas shopping. It was packed too, but we managed to find a seat to enjoy our drinks before browsing.

I couldn't resist these socks! A few pair ended up in my bag, for gift-giving. No books this time, as Larry was tired and buying books takes time. I was struck by all the alternative lifestyle books in the children's section. I admit I was taken aback; as a librarian, of course we offered books on all topics, but i has not realized how our current culture has impacted children's lit. There were plenty of the old classics, of course, as well as books about saving the planet, racial acceptance,  etc. Kind of eye-opening---I hadn't really looked at children's books in years. I imagine the book-banning crowd would have a field day in there.

Back outside, the crowds had thinned a little. By now it was 9pm and most parents had herded their children homeward.

We had one more stop to make, at Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream. Larry didn't want any but I had a most delicious chocolate black raspberry cone. Although it was closing time, the staff were welcoming and friendly. It felt like we were old customers,  which, actually, I was, as I used to come here for coffee and an occasional muffin or salad when I worked just up the street at the library.

I don't know who painted this picture of Ellen's that was on the wall, but I like it.

The mural on the opposite wall, however, is the unmistakable work of Charleston's favorite artist, Charles "Jupiter " Hamilton, who sadly passed away a few years ago.

It was finally time to head home ourselves, but we both were glad we ventured out for such a fun evening.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.