Just before Thanksgiving, you may have noticed that, little by little, Middleburg began sprucing itself up for the holidays. Out came the Christmas lights on the trees. Up went the red and green and gold window displays in the shops. The strains of Christmas carols wafted into the streets when customers opened the shop doors. Suddenly, it seemed that a Middleburg Christmas tradition–the hand-painted Christmas signs representing iconic figures of the holiday season–were adorning every lamppost in town, ushering in a whimsical take on traditional Christmas decorations.

The woman behind the signs is Emily Sharp–known as Em–a former art teacher at the Hill School, now 86 years old and living with her family on a farm on the Zulla Road. She was commissioned to create the signs at $300 per sign right around the time that the first modern "Christmas in Middleburg" parade and festivities began.

Mrs. Sharp is extremely modest about the unique signs, which, for many residents of Middleburg, truly mark the official start of the Christmas season.

And the signs are, truly, unique, each designed to be relevant and appropriate to the building and business they're near. For example, Mrs. Sharp painted Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy to beckon customers to The Fun Shop. A butler holding a plum pudding stands across from the Red Fox Inn. Two singing boys, one black and one white, share the lamppost next to Emmanuel Episcopal Church, which, Mrs. Sharp says, signifies the unity that the Christmas season brings. And Winnie the Pooh and Piglet at the corner of Federal and Madison Streets? Those, says Mrs. Sharp, were just for fun.

Sharp says that painting was always her forte, and that she had always loved making cutouts. For the signs, she first painted her characters on heavy plywood with enamel, weatherproof paint, and then used a saw to cut out the figures. Later she would have Middleburg Millwork do the cutting for her, but the figures were always of her own designs. (She has also made other signs for the town, including a Nutcracker and a Town Crier, both of which are used periodically by the Community Center.)

During Mrs. Sharp's 15-year tenure at Hill School, she instilled her love of art into many of her students. One of those former students is John Ralph, now the owner of Quail Run Signs. As a woodworker and artisan who was inspired by Mrs. Sharp, he remembers her as "incredibly fun, irreverent, and hysterical."

This is the first year Mr. Ralph has ever been officially involved in the ongoing tradition of Mrs. Sharp's Middleburg Christmas signs, but his timing could not have been better. Many of the original signs were in need of repair. Some were badly damaged, with hands and other extremities bent or completely broken off.

Others seemed to simply need repainting, but they are original works of art. "They need lots of love," says Mr. Ralph, "and we're doing all the work they need, gratis."

Indeed, it would be very difficult to justify the expense of paying for repairs to all the signs given the amount of time and special effort they need. "It's just untenable to expect anyone to pay for that," said Mr. Ralph. Because of his love and respect for his former teacher, Ralph considers his generous gift of time and talent both a tribute and a pleasure.

Other Middleburg residents remember Mrs. Sharp and her artwork with the same respect. Betsy Davis, office manager of The Fun Shop, comments, "She's such a part of Middleburg. The characters are so wonderful. I think of Mrs. Sharp when I look at them. To me, it's so neat to have these signs. She's a real ball of fire, so full of life."

Claudia Dornin, the assistant to the town manager, says, "There's a stamp from Em all over the town," including at Hill School where she taught for so long. Mrs. Sharp was responsible for the reconstruction of the playhouse on the school's property. The characters painted on it resemble the characters on the Christmas signs. Mrs. Dornin believes that Mrs. Sharp's "heritage is in the signs, but it's also in her former students who are now artists."

In addition to John Ralph, at least two of Mrs. Sharp's former students are now artists.

The Christmas signs are certainly favorites of Middleburg residents because of their memories of Mrs. Sharp, but her signs grab the attention of visitors to the town, as well. On Saturday, December 4, during Christmas in Middleburg, two girls from Leesburg walking down Madison Street with their mother were overheard discussing which sign was the best. The discussion became quite heated, as sister arguments often do, with the debate ending in a draw between the cherubic cutout angel playing a guitar and Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

Other tourists seemed cheered that, here in Middleburg, beyond the grueling grind of the Beltway and the Northern Virginia suburbs, a town still exists where tradition lives–and where one of the highlights of the season is the hanging of the Christmas signs painted by a beloved and venerable artist and teacher, and cared for by those she taught and inspired.