It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Middleburg – especially with the annual display of holiday signs along Washington and Federal Streets. These wooden signs pay tribute to the memory and legacy of the late Emily Sharp who shared her whimsical visions of a gift-filled sleigh, trumpeting angel, cook with plum pudding, Tiny Tim, Pooh Bear, toy engine, and Santa's list of merchants, to name only a few.

Over the years, Sharp's Yuletide signs, which she designed specifically for the charming, old-fashioned theme of Christmas In Middleburg, have become inextricably woven into the unique tapestry of the local community's history and traditions. The wooden signs first graced Middleburg in 1982 and grew rapidly from 20 originals to 26 all told.

Today, they look as good as new, thanks to The Hill School's Alumni Association whose board decided unanimously last January to refurbish and restore the holiday signs designed by their former art teacher.