In a bit of holiday magic sure to make her parents smile from heaven, Donna Corbett is carrying on her mother’s legacy this year in a special Downtown Mebane event called Always Christmas – A Corbett Family Tradition.

The event, sponsored by Mebane Main Street, is an indoor holiday tree display that has its beginnings in the Corbett family home in the West End community of Mebane. Beginning in the early 1990s, Corbett’s parents, Mary and Ben Corbett, held an annual Christmas open house for friends, family, neighbors and church members at their home at 210 West Street. Always a time of laughter, music, good food and fellowship, the centerpiece of the celebration was Mary’s ever-growing collection of exquisitely decorated Christmas trees.

When her mother passed away in June 2020, Corbett found that continuing the open house tradition kept her mother’s memory alive. This year, when Corbett was approached by Mebane Main Street about bringing the display Downtown, she didn’t hesitate.

“I’m so excited!” Corbett said. “Our open house had really outgrown the space in our home. Visitors came from the Triangle and the eastern part of the state. My mom would sit by the fireplace and greet visitors who would either do a walk-through or stay and spend time catching up. She was also a giver, and everyone left with a gift.”

With few storefronts empty in Downtown Mebane, finding a suitable location for the display was initially a concern, but Pedro and Carmen Carreno of Carreno Developers offered their building at 200 N. Fifth Street next to the Lofts at White Furniture. Corbett quickly pulled together some friends and got to work on transporting about a dozen of the trees from her parents’ home as well as wreaths and other Christmas decorations.