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Now that the clock has turned from 2025 to 2026, Bellingrath Gardens & Home finds itself, always anew, looking toward the next cycle of blooms and beauty. From the splendors of Magic Christmas in Lights, which celebrated yet another highly successful season that concluded on January 10, to the upcoming winter and spring blooms, we want to always encourage you, our members and supporters, to come visit us now during this “shoulder season” at BGH.
So, what’s the final report on our 30th season of Magic Christmas in Lights, you might ask? Well, it’s certainly been an interesting year, one filled with celebrations, hard work, and guests galore, but it’s also been one of challenges. In my six Magic Christmas seasons that I’ve now experienced, I can truly say that this one has been the most difficult. As a staff, we were afflicted with all sorts of bugs – from the common cold to this year’s widespread flu outbreak, to a host of other winter ailments. But, don’t worry, we’re not contagious! We just had to contend with a record number of staff callouts from work, and even yours truly was absent for five days. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of BGH’s dedicated staff, including our cadre of seasonal workers, all of whom dedicated a great many nights of their lives to host and put on this treasured event. On top of the many bouts of staff sicknesses, we also had a “present” that was delivered to us on December 17th via a drunk driver when his/her vehicle collided with a utility pole and knocked out power for us one evening during Magic Christmas in Lights, this causing us to have to disappoint expectant visitors and refund oodles of tickets. Alabama Power alone incurred thousands of dollars of damage to their infrastructure, and BGH lost at least $20,000 in income. We hope that the driver emerged from this wreck without permanent injuries, but we also lament his/her recklessness by driving while intoxicated. Alas, our lives are all intertwined, sometimes in bad ways.
On the positive side, Magic Christmas welcomed over 80,000 guests to Bellingrath this year! It’s far from a record, but it stands as the 7th or 8th most visited MCIL season in our 30 year history!! We’re not hanging our heads disappointed, y’all, but rather we are celebrating how you continue to faithfully support us in keeping Bellingrath Gardens & Home as a top tourist and seasonal destination, not only for Mobile, but rather for the entirety of Alabama and also for the Gulf Coast region. For next year, expect to find more exciting changes and improvements, another new scene (of course), and more of the unique and special excitement that is Magic Christmas in Lights!
Changing subjects entirely, Bellingrath Gardens & Home is excited in 2026 to introduce a new program that helps support our operations, while also allowing you to acknowledge special people and events in your lives – the “Blooming Bed Adoptions” program! Dr. Cory Sparks, BGH’s stalwart Director of Development, has worked over the past several months with our Horticulture team, led by Jeremy Schmidt, Director of Horticulture, to bring this program into existence. We already have 3 beds being sponsored, too! For $5,000, you can sponsor a seasonal planting bed for two years, commemorating a loved one or that special person, a mentor, or anyone who means something to you in your daily lives. For details as to how you can adopt a Blooming Bed, please reach out to Cory at [email protected] or via phone at (251) 873-1378. Stay tuned for pictures of these Blooming Beds, and those who are honoring not only their loved ones, but also Bellingrath, by sharing with us.
And with this, you should all be able to see that Bellingrath Gardens & Home continues to exist and grow as a vibrant cultural and historic venue and destination – a local icon that we as Mobilians and Gulf Coast residents can only imagine going forward as a thriving and vital nonprofit and community treasure. Thank you for all you do to promote and publicized Bellingrath and its many activities, and please come visit us. The camellias are beautiful, and it won’t be long before the azaleas will be popping!