For Head Housekeeper, Christmas Tree at 1770 House Has Special Meaning

The 1770 House and its beautiful Christmas décor have long been a source of joy and holiday spirit for visitors to the historic inn. Head housekeeper Marcella Giraldo is responsible for creating that magic, overseeing every detail of the design. For her, it’s about more than just pride in her work.

Giraldo emigrated from her native Colombia to the U.S. in 2001, arriving alone. Less than a year later, she was hired as a housekeeper at the 1770 House and, for many years, lived in the inn’s third-floor apartment. Today, Giraldo and her family—husband Carlos and daughter Madison, 14—live in Springs. But for much of Madison’s childhood, they lived together at the inn, where the stunning Christmas tree that now greets guests each holiday season was also their family tree. It was the tree Madison rushed down to on Christmas mornings, eager to find the gifts waiting beneath.

“It became a beautiful tradition,” Giraldo said, “one that we’ve kept up, although slightly altered, since moving into our own house. Every single Christmas morning, that was our tree. I’d go downstairs with Madison to look for gifts, and we’d have chocolate and our Christmas breakfast there.”

The Giraldos moved into their own home more than five years ago but still visit the 1770 House every Christmas morning to keep that tradition alive. While they now have a tree at home, they still consider the one at the inn their “main Christmas tree.”

“She loved it,” Giraldo said of her daughter. “Madison thinks this is home. When we do the Christmas tree here and we’re putting on the final touches, Carlos and Madison come too. Carlos helps with the lighting, Madison still comes for pictures, and Carlos still hides presents for her under the tree.”

Giraldo remembers how many of the 1770 House staff would tuck presents under the tree for Madison when she was little. “She was the only baby in the building,” she said, adding that even now, her daughter still finds small gifts from co-workers under the tree each Christmas morning.

She expressed deep gratitude to former owner Ben Krupinski, who died in a plane crash in 2018, for encouraging her to stay in the apartment even as she married and started a family. During a renovation, Krupinski even expanded the apartment to make it more comfortable for them.

“I appreciate so much that they gave me the opportunity not just to work here, but to be like a family member,” Giraldo said. “I always felt like this was my complete home. And I do my job with so much pride because of that.”