All I can say is that I would be in Victorian Christmas bliss if my town hosted such a display! I loved all the photos, but I was especially impressed with the one featuring Santa along with those long magnolia garlands. Were they natural? Simply amazing and beautiful. I have forwarded this link onto a friend who is a Christmas fanatic, just like me :-) I hope to see the display again this year and yes, I expect you to photograph all the 60 porches for us :-) Thank you very much for sharing the photos with us. Eduarda

OMG - that is just beautiful - what an interesting thing for a town to do - I just love it - especially the 3 little angels - how precious. I love the idea of having all the figurines in a base of snow - that is so cool - thank you so much for sharing those pictures - off to do the second tour..... Lynne

This is an issue for me, too. We've finally (after 25 years here!!) got the front porch off in December. And we will NOT be replacing it. But I do intend to reuse the substantially intact columns, entablature, frieze, roof and deck framing etc. on a porch on the other side of the house - north side where there won't be any loss of light. Can't believe I suffered through 24 winters in the near darkness in my first floor due to that damn porch. Removing it made a tremendous, and completely positive change in my experience of my old house. I spent way to much time agonizing about altering an "old" element of the house. I was hoping that when we excavated we'd find it was a later addition. Alas, there it turned out to be no evidence to support that, and no evidence that the parts of the vertical wall framing that had been covered by the thickness of the porch roof had ever been covered by siding. So the porch must have been installed before it was first sided. By the time we could see this, however, we had already removed a good chunk of the roof decking and ceiling and it was nearly dark. The next morning I stumbled downstairs and I had sun streaming in through my front windows in my sitting room and dining room. It was around the winter solstice when, as you know sun is so precious. I couldn't get over it. When my DH asked for a decision about whether to continue, or not, I just said let's get it down. So there, I did it. I tore off and orginal, important element of my antique house - a half-height, but full-facade, Greek revival porch. And I am not the least bit sorry. But I did salvage everything and will allay any lingering guilt by re-erecting it on the back. What were they thinking when the blocked all that light since 1849? But the far edge of my decking is unsound, too. I have considered making the new porch narrower. I was hoping to find new replacement material, but it sounds as though I'll be out of luck. So my fall back plan is this: put the replaced (new material) section inboard, next to the house and install the salvaged floor boards turned around so the old, formerly protected parts will now be on the weather edge, and the seam between the two will be deep under the porch roof. That butt joint will be a place for development of problems in the long run (and with houses as old as ours, the long is run everything.) Therefore, the drier it stays, the better. I may also turn the salvaged boards upside down as 160 + years of use have worn out the grain a bit, but the undersides are still fresh. Also the old face nail holes would be less visible. I realize this will put the "seam" between the two surfaces in a somewhat more prominent place, but considering that I plan to paint it, and normally have a big door mat and an old settle against the wall of the house, I think it will be OK, and mostly hidden. What choice do we have, anyway? No way would I want to think I was using any freshly harvested old-growth Doug fir. Nor do I feel comfortable with any of the tropical hardwoods (primarily teaks), notwithstanding the "certification" system. I considered using one of the fake outdoor flooring materials (i.e. Trex). Can't go there for a flooring surface that I would want to walk on in barefeet. Though I do have a couple of pieces in very damp place in my spring house and I've been satisfied with them. L.

Karen, we are in Opelika AL. This is a registered Historic District. The tour comprises just 2 streets. There are about 100 figures on the porches. We have lived here 6 yrs. We love our home and I can never imagine living in a "regular" home again LOL. We have finished all the remodeling that we ever intend to do and I am landscaping now. I know very little about how but am learning. I wish you joy in the holidays and hope you have a peaceful decision concerning the "pink" house. Caroline