Following Thanksgiving, Colonial Williamsburg’s exhibition sites, trade sites and other historic buildings are decked out for the holidays with wreaths, swags and garland made from natural materials including apples, lemons, oranges and pineapples, the 18th-century symbol for hospitality.
The Christmas Decorations Walking Tour offers a guided look at Colonial Williamsburg’s picturesque exteriors and streets and provides information about the materials, construction techniques and decorating traditions that delight visitors year after year. Tours are offered at 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 1:30 and 3:15 p.m. daily from Nov. 25 – Dec. 30, except on Dec. 3, 4 and 25. (There are no 9:15 a.m. tours on Dec. 3, no 3:15 p.m. tours on Dec. 4 and no 9:15 a.m. or 3:15 p.m. tours on Dec. 25.) Admission is only $10 with a Colonial Williamsburg admission pass or $15 without a Colonial Williamsburg admission pass. The tour meets at the Lumber House Ticket Office.
The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg host three programs that focus on holiday decorating at 1:45 p.m. Wednesdays and 10:30 a.m. Fridays, Nov. 28-Dec. 28. “The Art-Full Tree” includes a tour of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum with one of the authors of the book of the same name. Guests see the folk art that inspired the ornaments in the book, view the 16-foot tree decoration with 1,000 ornaments and create their own art-inspired ornament to take home. A separate $5 ticket is required in addition to a Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket.
Guests who want to explore how Yuletide celebrations of Colonial times evolved into the signature Williamsburg Christmas look will enjoy “Holiday Decorating Techniques and Secrets” at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 3, 5, 7, 11 and 13 at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. Members of Colonial Williamsburg’s landscape staff create two signature holiday decorations and share tips and techniques used to make and decorate wreaths, swages, centerpieces and other traditional Williamsburg decorations using fresh fruits, greens and other natural materials. A separate $5 ticket is required in addition to a Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket.
During the 20th annual “Decorating Private Homes” program at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5 in the Wallace Museum, winners of Colonial Williamsburg’s Revolutionary City private residence decorating contest are announced. Guests learn decorating tips and interesting facts about what goes into decorating the Revolutionary City. This program is included in all Colonial Williamsburg admission, museum, annual and Good Neighbor passes.
Programs and exhibitions at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum are supported by the DeWitt Wallace Endowment Fund.
