Mr Williamsburg, Blogging on Life and Real Estate in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads Virginia

  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT

A COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG CHRISTMAS

What is Grand Illumination?

Colonial Williamsburg’s signature event, Grand Illumination, signals the

beginning of the 2008 holiday season Sunday, Dec. 7, and typically attracts

thousands of guests to the Historic Area. The tradition began in 1935 with the first

“White Lighting” of the Historic Area, during which a single candle was lit in each

window of homes and shops there. The program has become significantly larger, and

the lighting of candles in public buildings, homes and shops continues.

Guests are encouraged to arrive early and park at the Colonial Williamsburg

Visitor Center. Free bus service is provided between the Visitor Center and the

Historic Area until 10 p.m. 

How many lights are displayed in the Historic Area? 

Windows in more than 100 exhibition buildings, trade shops and other Historic

Area buildings are lit with more than 1,200 electric or battery-operated candles the

Friday following Thanksgiving through Jan. 1, 2009. 

What makes Colonial Williamsburg’s decorations unique? 

Colonial Williamsburg’s outdoor Christmas decorations are known worldwide for

their use of natural materials available during the 18th century. These typically include

pine and boxwood wreaths decorated with fresh pineapples, apples, oranges,

pomegranates, nuts, pinecones, holly and other materials.

Colonial Williamsburg’s floral staff decorates the exteriors and some interiors of

exhibition buildings and shops. They produce several dozen elaborate door wreaths and

plaques that are checked daily for maintenance. More than 2,550 white pine and Fraser

fir wreaths and more than three miles of white pine roping are used to put the finishing

touches on doorways, windows, columns and railings. Historic Area residents decorate

their own homes, and a contest is held each year to determine the most imaginative or

original decorations.

hooks, and filled with pitch pine or fat wood, which contain a high amount of resin

for an especially hot, bright flame. Set ablaze, they provide illumination during

Colonial Williamsburg’s evening programs. 

What is the history of the Market Square Christmas tree?

There were no Christmas trees in 18th-century Williamsburg. The first

“Christmas tree” in Williamsburg was introduced and decorated in 1842 at the St.

George Tucker House. Far from the large, grandiose trees aglow with sparkling lights

and myriad decorations of today, early Christmas trees were shorter and simpler but

no less aesthetic or charming. The early trees typically were showcased on a tabletop

and stood no more than a few feet tall.

Williamsburg’s first Christmas tree is commemorated with the installation of a

decorated tree inside the St. George Tucker House and with the lighting of a large

evergreen at Market Square near the Magazine. The tree is illuminated Christmas

Eve during a ceremony that includes caroling and brief remarks by a prominent

Williamsburg citizen.

How far in advance should reservations be made?

Since this is such a busy time, reservations for lodging and dining during the

holiday season should be made as soon as possible. Weekend reservations tend to

fill up faster than midweek reservations. The Williamsburg Inn typically is the first

Colonial Williamsburg hotel to fill up.

What are the minimum stay requirements?

There may be two-night minimum stay requirements, based on demand, in

Colonial Williamsburg hotels for Grand Illumination. Due to high demand for

accommodations during the holiday season, a three-night minimum stay is required

from Dec. 23 to 26 at the Williamsburg Inn, Colonial Houses—Historic Lodging,

Williamsburg Lodge and the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel and Suites. Guests are

encouraged to stay longer.

How do I get additional information and purchase tickets for holiday

programs?

To request a free planner that details Colonial Williamsburg’s holiday

programs or to make reservations by phone, call toll free 1-800-HISTORY or explore

the Colonial Williamsburg Web site at www.history.org.

How do I make lodging and dining reservations?

To make lodging reservations or to request a free Colonial Williamsburg

Holiday Planner, call toll free 1-800-HISTORY. Lodging reservations also may be

made on the Internet at

http://www.history.org

holiday events, call toll-free 1-800-TAVERNS or fax to (757) 565-8797. Priority

dining reservations are given to guests of Colonial Williamsburg Hotels.

What is The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation?

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational

institution that receives no regular state or federal funding. The Foundation

preserves and interprets the Historic Area. In support of its educational mission,

Colonial Williamsburg operates for-profit businesses that include hotels and

restaurants, meeting, spa and recreational facilities, retail shops and sales of

licensed products and reproductions.

Colonial Williamsburg’s Fifes and Drums celebrate their 50th anniversary in

2008. Founded in 1958, the Fifes and Drums perform in Colonial Williamsburg’s

Historic Area nearly 500 times during the year in daily programs from mid-February

through December and during special programs observing major holidays, including

the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Grand Illumination.

Colonial Williamsburg’s education and preservation programs and activities

include archaeology, historical research, building and grounds preservation, historic

trades demonstrations, living history programs, educational outreach programs and

conservation of art and antiques. Colonial Williamsburg uses interactive television

and Web-based technologies for Electronic Field Trips each year to bring the 18th

century to life for more than one million students throughout the United States.

Colonial Williamsburg also operates three world-class museums: the DeWitt

Wallace Decorative Arts Museum which displays the Foundation’s exceptional collection

of British and American decorative arts; the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum,

the oldest institution in the United States dedicated solely to the collection and

preservation of American folk art; and Bassett Hall, the Williamsburg home of Mr. and

Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr.

When is Colonial Williamsburg open?

Colonial Williamsburg is open 365 days a year, generally from 9:30 a.m. to

5 p.m. during the holiday season. Information about specific programs, times and

locations can be found in

This Week

Center, all Colonial Williamsburg ticket outlets and Colonial Williamsburg hotels. Or,

visit CW online at

www.ColonialWilliamsburg.com 

How do I get there?

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