Christmas didn’t always look like it does today.
Through the entire month of December, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Jamestown Settlement are spreading holiday fun this year with “A Colonial Christmas,” funded in part by the York County Arts Commission.
During the event, visitors will learn about various holiday traditions from the 17th and 18th century, according to a Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation news release.
While there is little known about early Christmases in America’s first permanent English colony, the activities and presentations demonstrate cultural practices from English colonists of the time. The traditional English holiday season stretched from Dec. 25 to Jan. 6 and was filled with merriment and feasting, the release said.
The activities include a series of interpretive programs that will provide musical entertainment from the era with performances from Jamestown Settlement’s Lord of Misrule from Dec. 23-31 at both Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, the release said.
Visitors can experience the two living-history museums to learn about America’s beginnings. The museums will feature films, immersive gallery exhibits and historical interpretations in re-created outdoor settings, according to the release.
The settings will include a Powhatan Native American village, colonial ships and fort from 1607, and the Continental Army encampment at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, the release said. The outdoor living-history areas display Jamestown’s early years as well as the English colonists’ Christmas at sea.
The Powhatan Native Americans are represented by interpreters showing hospitality to Captain John Smith and his trading party during a winter storm, the release said. There will also be demonstrations of Powhatan winter activities, including food preservation and hunting techniques, according to the release.
“A Jamestown Christmas” will be one of the films shown during the event at the Jamestown Settlement. The film compares and contrasts English Christmas customs of the era as well as the difficult living conditions during the season.
On a Revolution-era farm at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, visitors can learn about winter camp life and Christmas during the war through activities such as military supply preparation and artillery piece firings from historical interpreters, the release said.
There will also be displays that demonstrate family Christmas during the era. At a clapboard farmhouse, spectators can learn about 18th-century holiday traditions and experiences such open-hearth cooking and candle-dipping activities.
Tickets to the events are available to both museums at the combined price of $23 for adults and $12 for ages 6-12. For admission to Jamestown Settlement events, tickets are $17 for adults and $8 for ages 6-12. Children under six are free and residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg, including College of William and Mary students, receive complimentary admission with proof of residency.
Christmas-themed private tours are available for an additional fee with advance reservations for a party of 14 or fewer people. Reservations can be made online or by calling 757-253-4939.
For more information on tickets and show schedules visit A Colonial Christmas website or call 757-253-4838.
