Come Experience a Traditional Christmas at Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast in Jacksonville, Illinois  

Starting in early November, the inn is dressed in her holiday finery including glorious Christmas trees, Original Snow Village displays, inspirational nativities and all-season fireplaces with decorated mantels. We value the time-honored Christmas traditions and we’re thrilled to share them with our Blessings on State guests.

Get Away from the Holiday Hustle and Bustle

Enjoy all of your favorite Christmas traditions. Put your phone down and your feet up. Relax and allow yourself to enjoy some peace and quiet. Listen to the Christmas Story and focus on the real reason for the season. Read a book, play a game, work on a jigsaw puzzle, decorate Christmas cookies (and eat them, too!) If you prefer the hustle and bustle, we’ll offer many activities and opportunities for you to experience additional cherished holiday traditions during your stay. We love our Christmas traditions at Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast and we look forward to sharing them with you!

Your Accommodations

We are the only full-service Bed & Breakfast in the Jacksonville area. We offer two luxury guest suites, each with a private bathroom and private sitting room. Antiques mix with reproductions to provide a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. We refer to our style as “casually elegant.” Both suites have all-season fireplaces and each has its own Christmas tree during the holidays. Our guests rave about our hospitality, the ambiance and décor, how good breakfast is, and even how comfortable our beds are! We provide digital satellite TV and Wi-Fi throughout our home. Our décor changes with the seasons, and we love to decorate for Christmas! The Tranquility Suite has a king-sized bed with a twin daybed in the sitting room. It even has a pop-up twin bed, if you don’t mind being extra cozy. (Think “slumber party.”) The Serenity Suite has a high four-poster queen sized bed. The Blessings Christmas Traditions Package is available with a two-night stay in either suite.

Tranquility Suite at Christmas

Serenity Suite

We’re Bringing Back Your Favorite Holiday Traditions!

What do you think of when you think of a traditional Christmas? What are your favorite memories from your childhood? Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast is located in a vintage mansion, so it’s easy to step back in time and remember how things used to be as you experience a traditional Christmas at Blessings.

Christmas traditions you may choose to experience during your stay:

• Appetizers and cookies in the front parlor at check-in                                        
• Two upscale guest suites graciously decorated for Christmas
• Christmas Traditions Gift Bag in every suite
• Designer Christmas trees, Snow Villages and traditional nativity displays throughout the inn
• Enjoy some rest and relaxation
• Read a book
• Watch a movie
• Play games
• Put together a seasonal jigsaw puzzle
• 24/7 hot and cold beverages and snacks
• Hot Chocolate Bar
• Listen to the Christmas Story in the front parlor each morning
• Indulgent Holiday Breakfast served each morning
• Christmas carols in the front parlor
• Cozy blankets for porch sitting
• Selfies in front of the sleigh
• Help decorate the Guest Christmas Tree
• Take a walk through our historic neighborhood and see many lovely holiday displays
• Experience our local holiday events and activities including tree lightings, Christmas Parade, ice skating and snowball fights
• Show off your Ugly Christmas Sweater (Just so you know, I still think mine are “pretty” and I’ll be wearing them even when there’s not a contest!)
• Make your own ornament
• Find the perfect gifts at our local shops
• Christmas cookie decorating each afternoon
• Make and Take Wreath Workshop (reservations/supply fee)
• Gingerbread House Workshop (reservations/supply fee)
• Try out our terrific local restaurants
• I can’t promise that we’ll have snow, but we will have mistletoe!

We Decorate So You Don’t Have To!                                                                                  

We bring in the elves in early November– that’s one of our Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast Christmas traditions! The tradition started the first year we were open, and friends and family continue to come in for a weekend of work and fun. We typically decorate four Christmas trees to get ready for the season during our annual Elves Weekend. But, don’t worry – we’ll have baskets of ornaments for you to hang on the Guest Tree at the end of the upstairs hallway if you’d like to decorate during your stay!

Skip the Mall and Find the Perfect Gifts

Shop Jacksonville! Home Girls Boutique offers all things leading to home, including home décor and fragrances as well as women’s fashion. All Occasions offers flowers, seasonal décor and gifts for… all occasions! Our Town Books provides a variety of new and quality used books including contemporary fiction, children’s books, civil war history, and books with a local flavor. Shop at On the Wall Accents for upscale shoes, bags and other accessories. Antiquarius I and II have a curated collection of antiques and furniture. The Peddler’s Antiques and Home Décor Shoppes and South Jacksonville Antique Mall offer all kinds of treasures! Lunch at Annabel Lee’s Tea Room and peruse their shops. Just Good Trade offers fair trade gifts, clothing and food items from around the world. Lincoln Square hosts name brand stores including Ashley Furniture, Glik’s, and JC Penney. You’ll find Bath and Body Works just a little further down Morton Avenue. Everything is located just a few blocks from Blessings on State, so you can shop and dine without driving for miles! Pop-Up Shops occur throughout the season, so check our Facebook page for updates. The Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau will be happy to share information, too.

Go Christmas Caroling!

Sing carols around the spinet. Well… not the spinet, exactly, but we’d be delighted to have you sing along as you play our baby grand piano in the front parlor. Or, since it’s a player piano, you can have it accompany you as you sing. When you’re all in tune, I can steer you to some neighbors that would enjoy impromptu carolers! (Or just ring the doorbell – we enjoy Christmas carolers, too!)

Decorate Christmas Cookies                          

Leave the baking to us! We’ll schedule time during the afternoon for you to demonstrate your artistic side when you decorate Christmas cookies. We will provide cookies, icing and sprinkles. You provide the creativity!

Let’s Have Game Night!

This year we’re ready to play some games with the Christmas version of the Monopoly game, Christmas-opoly! Choose from a candy cane, teddy bear, reindeer, even Scrooge and a unique lump of black coal and play the traditional game or the abbreviated one-hour version. We’ll also offer cookie decorating and Ugly Sweater contests, ornament craft competitions and other activities throughout the season.

Come On, Open Your Presents!   

You’ll find a special Blessings Christmas Traditions gift bag waiting for you in your suite when you check in. We are pleased to include autographed Christmas Camp books and swag inspired by the Hallmark movie and novel created by the writer Karen Schaler. Star in your own personal Christmas movie as your bring the book to life at Blessings on State! Ms. Schaler has even shared a copy of her Christmas Camp Secret Sugar Cookie Recipe for each of our guests to take home. Since we’re giving you the recipe, I thought we should give you some tools to prepare it, so we’re providing a Mason jar cookie mix, a wooden rolling pin, wooden spoon, and measuring cups and spoons and a cookie cutter, along with other surprises. We will have additional gift bags available for purchase.

Indulge                  

You’ll find lots of favorite toppings at the hot chocolate bar. We will serve Christmas cookies for your bedtime snack each night. Of course, we’ll probably have non-stop gingerbread men and Christmas cookies the rest of the day, too!

Our Holiday Breakfast with several of our guest favorites will be served each morning of your stay.

Dine at our local restaurants. We’ll be sure you get a complimentary appetizer or dessert to share when you let us make your reservation at Lonzerotti’s Italia Restaurant, located in a restored 1906 train depot.

Christmas is a very special time of the year, bringing memories of family and friends and fun traditions. Come start a new tradition at Blessings on State! Call us at 217-245-1013 to check availability.

Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast ~ Jacksonville, Illinois
About Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast

Experience a stay in our award-winning Bed & Breakfast located in a magnificently restored 130-year-old mansion in the heart of the historic district. Pampered luxury is our goal, to delight both business and leisure travelers. We offer two upscale guest suites, each with private sitting rooms and private baths. We provide multi-course gourmet breakfasts, 24/7 family-friendly hot and cold beverages and snacks, and cookies and milk at bedtime. Wi-Fi is available throughout our home and each suite has a digital satellite TV and all-season fireplace. We are located just steps away from Illinois College, the Governor Duncan Mansion and Illinois School for the Deaf and our neighborhood is highlighted on one of Jacksonville’s historic walking tours. Escape the standard hotel room and enjoy your own private suite in the finest Jacksonville area Bed & Breakfast lodging accommodations. Book direct for the best rates.

PHOTO CREDIT: Justin Hurley, Springfield, IL; Darren Iozia, Jacksonville, IL