Moderately expensive paintings were scattered throughout the house, alongside vacant spots where others had likely hung. What had happened to them? The furniture was elegant in design but told the same story as the empty places on the walls. Each room contained just enough furniture to be functional, but the settings where valuable pieces might have been showcased were bare. One day before Christmas Eve and there wasn’t a ribbon, candle, or wreath in sight. Curiosity drove her through each room as she hunted for even the tiniest evidence of holiday cheer. She thought of the lengths her family went to each year to decorate their thirty-plus-acre estate near New York City. There wasn’t a corner of the house that didn’t sparkle cheerfully or display photos of past Christmases. She and her mother spent an entire day each year directing the staff on exactly how and where to hang the festive greenery. It was something she’d often taken for granted.
