Christmas....some places we visited during the season

In my last blog I showed you when Santa came to my house. I thought I would show some pics of a couple of places we visit during the Christmas season. We usually start with a trip to Williamsburg, VA for their Grand Illumination Celebration. If you've never been, it's worth the trip. We visited the Williamsburg Winery in the morning, then went to Colonial Williamsburg for their fireworks, which start at 6:15pm. Afterwards we walked the streets, all lit up with lanterns, and stopped in a few of the stores. It was a very mild evening, and we were with some friends of ours.



It was the 50th anniversery of the Fife and Drum
Corps and a couple came to play at the winery.





Outside the Williamsburg Winery.



Waiting for the fireworks to begin.






We also visited Thomas Stone's house. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, among other positions he held in Maryland.


I love the bedroom linens of the colonial period.
The girl in the picture is a docent.



Part of Thomas Stone's main parlor.






Thomas Stone himself, discussing politics with his
relative, who is out of camera shot.







This year we also visited George Washington's Birthplace, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His home is right on the water and is just beautiful. The christmas decorations are not as elaborate as some I've seen from this time period. His original house burned down on Christmas Day, 1799, and you can view the original foundational outline, but the house that was built in early part of the 20th century is done according to that foundational layout.


Because your company could arrive from the land
or water, the house is built identical on each side.
That way, everyone always was greeted at the
front of the home.




Cooking was done in a room separate from the
main house. It was called the summer kitchen.
It frequently would catch fire. Slaves and
indentured servants would live out here. The
main meal was served at 2:00pm and was a
large meal. Leftovers were served until the
next day.



























The Washington family parlor. Each tile surrounding
the fireplace has a picture that tells a different Bible story.






The family dining room. The tablescape wasn't the
prettiest I'd seen done for the time period, but it
is a beautiful room, with all the natural wood and
large fireplace.