Before glue guns and Instagram, there were leaves, branches and flowers.
To see how the pros prepped for Christmas without the Internet and social media, take a tour of historic Williamsburg homes decorated for the holidays.
The 57th annual Christmas Homes Tour is set for Saturday, Dec. 3 and will take place in and around Colonial Williamsburg.
Sponsored by Green Spring Garden Club Inc., the event showcases six houses, including one that is participating in the tour for the first time. Each location will have original floral arrangements designed to complement the historic structures.
The participating homes are:
- The Custis Tenement on Duke of Gloucester Street, which is used and maintained by Bruton Parish.
- The Elkanah Deane House, a three-story structure with antiques and colonial reproductions, located on Palace Green.
- The Charlotte Brooks House and The J.C. Darlington House, which date to the early 1900s and are located on North Henry Street near Merchants Square.
- The Plumeri House, an early 1900s structure used by the College of William & Mary for visiting speakers and donors, and a first-time participant in the tour.
- The College of William & Mary President’s House, the oldest official residence for a college president in the U.S., is located on Richmond Road across from Merchants Square.
Tour tickets cost $35 and will be available for purchase at each house on Dec. 3.
The cost to visit one home is $10, with tickets for sale at the home.
Tickets will also be sold on Dec. 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Dec. 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Williamsburg Lodge, 310 S. England St., and at the Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center, 101 Visitor Center Dr.
Parking is not available at any of the tour homes. There will be free parking at the visitor center.
Anyone with a tour ticket can ride the Colonial Williamsburg buses on Dec. 3, but people will need to walk to the homes on the college campus and in Colonial Williamsburg.
To find out more, go to www.greenspringgardenclub.org.
