Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with all of our extended family around us. There was lots of chatting, LOTS of eating, and a little shopping (hard to avoid the advertisers' call). But we did try to get out inbetween and visit some of local attractions, which of course had to include an afternoon spent in Colonial Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg in the summer can be a little much, with the throngs of tourists and the sweltering heat. In late November/early December, it's so much better. There are still crowds but with the whole place decked out in swaths of greenery and gorgeous, authentic 18th-century wreaths, it's difficult not to get infected with the holiday spirit despite the hustle and bustle. Especially when you add in a cup of hot cider, thick extra-spicy gingerbread cookies, and Father Christmas roaming around greeting everyone.

We stopped for lunch (at the Seasons, home of the great Governors salad, my fave) and then walked the length of Duke of Gloucester Street, all 12 of us (10 adults plus 2 toddlers), poking our heads into the various markets and stopping to listen to groups of musicians playing carols on lutes and fifes. Anouk especially was fascinated by the shiny, brilliantly painted horse-drawn carriages that passed us -- we had to stop and pet each horse we saw. Or rather -- I pet while she hung back, a little shy. But it was enough to satisfy her.






By the end of our walk the sun was on its way down and the "townspeople" were lighting bonfires and braziers and the smell of woodsmoke was everywhere in the air.

There's a lot of (free!) fun to be found to look forward to in CW in the next coming weeks. I highly suggest going to the Grand Illumination coming up next weekend if you can, and also trying to catch a candlelight concert at Bruton Parish Church sometime throughout the month of December (more details here). For a full rundown of holiday fun in town, click here.