Our party stayed Christmas to New Years, 2020. This consisted of adults, teenagers, five children under 6 and one chubby dog. Finding a place that could even accommodate us was a daunting task, much less something pet-friendly. Helton Creek not only accommodated us but treated our family to the most magical Christmas ever.
Once we arrived, we could tell that so much love had been put into this cabin. Special touches were everywhere. From the Christmas-decorated fireplace, to the hand-made pottery and beautiful decorations outside.
The cabin itself is huge. Amazingly, everyone had plenty of space and not once did anyone feel crowded. We spent time relaxing, playing board games together, and visiting West Jefferson. (Do not leave without some cheese from the cheese shop or spices from the spice shop. Confession: Hubby and I brought almost ten pounds of cheese home in our cooler by ourselves, not including what we ate at the cabin. Yes, it was THAT good.)
Now, I am a Southern woman, so let me tell y'all about this kitchen. It had EVERYTHING. Someone would say, "Oh i forgot xyz." but then you'd hear, "Oh wait, I found one." There were beautifully seasoned cast-iron skillets, a16-quart pot, seasoned ceramic cookie trays (my favorite), two! coffee pots (yes, we used both, every morning) and more... I was in heaven. The only drawback is that there is no room in the cabinets for groceries, but we just used counter space, so no worries there.
The hot tub was fantastic for relaxing on cold nights, and it serendipitously snowed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. None of the teens or kids had ever seen so much snow (Alabama snow is sad. Very sad.), and the dog was a little confused at first. But we loved watching the kiddos (and dog) run around the fenced yard and play in the snow and having snowball fights. We had a bonfire and s'mores, it was fantastic.
For me personally, my favorite thing would be waking up early, before anyone else, sitting outside on the rocking chair, listening to the sound of the creek and watching the sun come up whilst sipping my coffee. Having those quiet moments to myself watching and hearing the beauty of creek was so relaxing.
Words cannot express my gratitude in being able to rent this cabin for our friends and family after such a crazy, stressful year. We are already discussing schedules for summer trip next year!! We loved it here!