David Walker and Richard Savington
David Walker and Richard Savington
baskets suspended overhead and shelves stocked with specialty foods and locally sourced gifts.
Chocolates, popcorn, honey and other Delmarva Peninsula treats share space with curated gift crates that can be shipped.
“It’s an old-fashioned shopping experience that encourages customers to linger,” Richard says.
Christmas at Windsor House
Richard and David purchased Windsor House in 2022, becoming only the third family to own the home since 1886. The historic property retains distinctive details, including custom fireplace tiles installed by the Windsor family, who operated a ceramics business in Salisbury.
Antiques, inherited silver, oil paintings and family collections fill the rooms. Richard jokingly attributes his tastes to another era. “I was raised out of a playbook written in the Victorian era,” he quips.
In the formal sitting room, a towering Christmas tree glows with blown-glass ornaments, some passed down through generations. Others were collected during Richard’s years in the floral business.
He hangs ornaments at varying depths rather than exclusively along the outer branches, allowing light to travel through the tree.
“When you walk past a tree with lights, it’s supposed to shimmer as if you are looking through ice,” he explains.
Near the breakfast room, a slender hunt-themed tree celebrates English country traditions with foxes and riding-inspired decorations. Tartan accents and a Santa wearing a Scottish kilt add whimsy.
The dining room is a holiday showpiece of its own. A red damask tablecloth anchors Christmas tree china, silver candelabras and a lush arrangement of flowers and evergreens. Clove-studded oranges add fragrance, while greenery and long red ribbons cascade from the chandelier. Blue Willow china and treasured serving pieces complete the table setting.
Even Sugar, the couple’s Pembroke Welsh corgi, is part of the holiday scene.
Traditions Worth Keeping
For all the grandeur, one of Richard’s most meaningful Christmas trees is also his most sentimental.
In the family room, colored lights illuminate ornaments gathered during travels, others made by the children in the family, and some collected over decades. It’s like a scrapbook of family memories.
The tradition began with Richard’s mother, who transformed the family home each Christmas. He continued it with his own children, eventually accumulating enough decorations to fill an entire section of the attic.
An appreciation for the past also shapes the decorating services offered through Savington & Hill. Rather than starting from scratch, Richard encourages clients to use cherished ornaments, favorite vases and treasured collections as the foundation for fresh arrangements.
“It lends a richness,” he says.
At Windsor House, Christmas is a celebration of generations, from the heirloom ornaments on the formal tree to the handmade keepsakes in the family room. And at Savington & Hill, those traditions continue through the floral business Richard now shares with his son.
“Christmas to me is supposed to be magical,” he says. CS