Colonial Williamsburg Christmas

“Christmas is come, hang on the pot,

Let spits turn round, and ovens be hot;

Beef, pork, and poultry, now provide,

To feast thy neighbours at this tide;

Then wash all down with good wine and beer,

And so with mirth conclude the YEAR.”

So wrote an anonymous poet in the 1765 edition of the Virginia Almanack, published in Williamsburg. Drawing on eighteenth-century traditions, Colonial Williamsburg has become famous for its celebrations of the Christmas season. In Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area—and in the pages of this lavishly illustrated book—you’ll find wreaths and roping crafted from greenery, fruit, and other natural materials; boards groaning under the weight of holiday fare; cressets warming the streets and candles flickering in the windows of the town’s homes and taverns; fireworks lighting up such iconic buildings as the Capitol and the Governor’s Palace. In colonial times and today, Christmas in Williamsburg not a day but a season—and one this book lets you experience throughout the year.