Richard Callahan

The residents of Historic Oakwood in Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, love to dress up their homes and their neighborhood for the holidays. Each year the Historic Oakwood Garden Club brings in outside judges to choose the winners in several categories.

The 2024 categories are:

The Ames Christopher Award – A special award given in honor of our late long-time neighbor for exceptional creativity in design and presentation.

A Traditional Christmas – Celebrates greenery with the use of wreaths and roping, accented simply with traditional bows.

Spotlight on Nature – Characterized by the use of natural (or natural-looking) materials such as fruit, pine, cedar, nandina, magnolia, and holly with accents that highlight the decor.

Delightfully Charming – Characterized as having an attractive holiday design, not complex in execution.

Winter Whimsical – Encourages the use of a creative, unique, or eclectic theme of any materials that inspire joy in the beholder.

Best Wreath – Judges’ preference

Best Use of Lighting – Judges’ preference

Light up the Night – Celebrates the warm glow of holiday cheer.

Lights of Many Colors – Encourages the use of multicolored and/or different styles of lighting.

Enjoy this video compilation of the 2024 winners:

2023 Historic Oakwood Holiday Decor Winners

The 2023 categories are:

The Ames Christopher Award – A special award given in honor of our late long-time neighbor for exceptional creativity in design and presentation.
A Traditional Christmas – Celebrates greenery with the use of wreaths and roping, accented simply with traditional bows.
Spotlight on Nature – Characterized by the use of natural (or natural-looking) materials such as fruit, pine, cedar, nandina, magnolia, and holly with accents that highlight the decor.
Delightfully Charming – Characterized as having an attractive holiday design, not complex in execution.
Winter Whimsical – Encourages the use of a creative, unique, or eclectic theme of any materials that inspire joy in the beholder.
Contemporary Design – Encourages a modern, streamlined Christmas where traditional opulence gets a new sense of style. Creative modernity while maintaining holiday cheer.
Best Wreath – Judges’ preference
Best Use of Lighting – Judges’ preference
Light up the Night – Celebrates the warm glow of holiday cheer.
Lights of Many Colors – Encourages the use of multicolored and/or different styles of lighting.

Enjoy this video compilation of the 2023 winners:

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Historic Oakwood’s 2017 Holiday Decor Winners

Historic Oakwood, a 19th-century neighborhood in Downtown Raleigh, N.C., is a beautiful place year-round. Decorating for the holidays is something most all of the neighbors enthusiastically participate in and for which the neighborhood is known far and wide. The Historic Oakwood Garden Club brings in outside judges to choose the winners in several categories each year.

The categories are:

The Ames Christopher Award – A special award given in honor of a former long-time neighbor for creativity in design and presentation.
Traditional Christmas – Simple use of decorations, wreaths, and roping, not complex in design, but well done.
Victorian Christmas – Victorian themes, including the use of lace, pearls, and velvet/tapestry ribbons.
Best Wreath – Judges’ preference.
Accent on Fruit – Emphasis on the use of fruit in exterior decoration.
Southern Christmas – Use of plant material typical of this area, such as pine, cedar, nandina, magnolia, and holly.
Contemporary Christmas – Use of any materials or design post-Victorian.
Best Lighting – Judges’ preference.