Greater Williamsburg is known for many things: history, an amusement park, a spa resort and an innovative craft beer and cocktails scene. But during the months of November and December, Williamsburg and its Historic Triangle compatriot Yorktown bedazzle visitors with a mix of Colonial and present-day holiday fun. A yuletide jaunt is perhaps best begun by visiting a plucky old man on a mission to keep the spirit of the holidays alive.
You can find him on an afternoon stroll in Merchants Square, a shopping area adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg, an 18th century city that doubles as the world’s largest living history museum (think immersive hands-on activities and guided tours). Here, street names such as Prince George and Duke of Gloucester are a nod to Britain’s influence on our early years. The man has a genuine white beard and wears a red suit, a necklace made of wooden toy blocks and a holly wreath around his head instead of a cap. He’s typically in conversation with someone, or several someones. He’s Father Christmas.
“Being Santa keeps me young,” says Lance Smith, who’s in his mid-70s and has embodied Father Christmas (and also Santa Claus) in Williamsburg for nearly 20 years. “It’s the best job in the world; it boosts the endorphins.” Smith, who has also worked as a magician and on an Alaskan oil rig, regales children and adults with tales of how Christmas was celebrated in early America, why the holiday was banned for a stretch in England, and why the names of two reindeer were changed. You can also find Smith (or another gentleman) dressed as a traditional Santa earlier in the day, sitting in a sleigh that’s more than 100 years old and posing for pictures across the street at Barnes & Noble. “We have people who come from all up and down the coast every year to get their pictures with us,” Smith says. (Check merchantssquare.org for Santa and Father Christmas schedules.)
Whether you wander Colonial Williamsburg’s historic streets or purchase tickets to enter more than 40 sites and speak to period-dressed interpreters, there’s a distinct feeling that you’ve journeyed into Christmas past. The place is festooned with enough apple swags, woodsy green garlands and beautiful wreaths of fruit and berries to lift the spirits of even the most Scroogelike visitors.
Preplanning is the key to enjoying Colonial Williamsburg’s holiday offerings. Peruse the daily program guide (available at ticket offices and at colonialwilliamsburg.com) and organize your visit around activities that are most appealing. There are a couple dozen choices per day. You might ice skate at Liberty’s Ice Pavilion, take a Christmas decorations walking tour, learn an 18th century dance, listen to a master storyteller talk about “Remembering Christmas: Slave and Free,” or feel the beat in your chest as you follow the fife and drum.
New this year is a shadow puppet show called “Holiday Memories.” Offered on select dates, it features a changing panoramic background that helps tell the story of Christmas in the 1890s. Some evenings you can gather around the porch at R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse for a singalong of holiday favorites in the glow of burning cressets (raised iron baskets filled with wood) that light up Duke of Gloucester Street.
For a different look at life in our country during its early years, visit the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, a roughly 20-minute drive from Colonial Williamsburg. As one Yorktown guide put it, “Yorktown reflects what the majority of folks lived like [back then], the country folks and farmers, who were numerous…and thought differently politically than the ‘urban’ folks whose lives are reflected by Colonial Williamsburg.”
Opened in 2016, the 80,000-square-foot museum brings to the forefront many voices not originally heard in the telling of Revolution-era history—those of enslaved and free blacks, and women. The experiential theater that is part of the “Revolution” exhibit transports visitors to the Yorktown battlefield in 1781, complete with wind, smoke and cannon fire. The museum’s holiday spin includes musical entertainment from the period, learning about Christmas during the war at the Continental Army encampment, and trying your hand at candle-dipping at a clapboard farmhouse.
Segue to present-day Christmas at nearby Williamsburg Winery, which is open daily for tours and tastings of its wines, including its flagship red blend, Adagio, plus whites and dessert wines that make good gifts at holiday soirées. The winery is part of Wessex Hundred, a 300-acre farm that overlooks the James River and includes Gabriel Archer Tavern and Wedmore Place—an inn that boasts an elegant French restaurant, Café Provençal.
Fans of Elf—and all that glittered in the movie’s decked-out department store—might feel like they’ve entered a holiday film scene at Yankee Candle Village. The 45,000-square-foot store offers interactive games and activities, a giant gumball machine, a Santa’s workshop-themed Toy Shop, plus more than 40,000 ornaments to choose from. You can get crafty by making a wax mold of your hand (the peace sign and thumbs-up are popular choices) or dipping a critter-shaped candle, in addition to watching an elaborate train set chug through the upper reaches of the store, visiting with Santa, and taking a selfie with a 6-foot-tall nutcracker.
On an even grander scale, Busch Gardens Christmas Town (Nov. 17 to Jan. 5) features more than 10 million lights—the largest holiday lights display in North America. A highlight of the amusement park’s offerings is a “fireside feast” at Castle O’Sullivan with Santa and Mrs. Claus (the food is cafeteria quality, but the experience has a cozy Christmas-with-the-Clauses vibe). Stroll Busch Gardens’ traditional German-themed Mistletoe Marketplace for artsy gifts made by local craftspeople, enjoy the rides (about 25 are open during Christmas Town, including the InvadR and Verbolten roller coasters), and stay warm with a mug of the park’s tasty peppermint fudge hot chocolate.
Whether you spend time with Father Christmas in Williamsburg or visit with Santa at Busch Gardens and Yankee Candle, there’s something about the spirit of Williamsburg’s holiday season. Smith, aka Father Christmas, recalls one day when he had a friend fill in for him. “The shift was supposed to end at 4:30. He stayed until 7,” Smith says. The man told Smith how he loved the job and how much joy it brings to both the kids and the man who is Santa (or Father Christmas). “Being Santa is not about the beard,” Smith says. “It’s about spreading love and acceptance for everyone.” In this historic town that pays homage to our country’s founding principles, that’s a message to ponder for Christmases past, present and future.
If You Go
Where to Shop
Colonial Williamsburg
The historic area’s dozen-plus shops offer things you won’t find in a superstore, including silversmiths at the Golden Ball fashioning one-of-a-kind jewelry, and the Prentis Store’s collection of handcrafted leather goods, iron hardware, reproduction furniture, Colonial clothing and Native American crafts.
Merchants Square at Colonial Williamsburg
Home to more than 40 shops and restaurants, this 18th century-style village is a mix of national brand stores and unique shops, such as Scotland House for gifts and apparel, and Williamsburg Craft House for a wide selection of pewter, folk art, jewelry and more.
Yorktown’s Riverwalk Landing
This collection of waterfront shops offers jewelry, quilts, art and clothing. Auntie M’s American College is the place for handcrafted art from across the country. The Yorktown Onion sells fine art and home accessories.
Where to Eat
Helmed by John Gonzales, a former executive chef at D.C.’s Watergate Hotel and the author of two cookbooks, this novel restaurant teaches diners how to make a multicourse dinner, then serves the complete feast along with paired wines. Dishes for the five-course fixed-menu meal change monthly. The dinner is $94.50 per person and includes hors d’oeuvres, champagne, three glasses of paired wines and the recipes—including the one for what many guests have said is the restaurant’s “life-changing” cornbread. Book well in advance.
Aromas Specialty Coffees and Cafe
A Merchants Square spot, Aromas is a favorite for warm beverages and its extensive menu of delicious breakfasts (including a brie-stuffed French toast), salads, sandwiches, pastries, cakes and more.
DoG Street Pub
This 80-year-old bank-turned-gastropub serves craft beers, from ales to lagers, and fare including burgers made from salmon, lamb or Angus beef. Join the pub’s dog-friendly run club on Monday evenings year-round for a 5K jaunt followed by a pint and small bites.
Where to Stay
Set on the banks of the James River, this resort is the place for spacious condos and culinary feasts, from a history-themed Thanksgiving dinner to a traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. The three-night Christmas package includes a two- or three-bedroom condo decorated with a Christmas tree and stockings hung by the fireplace, full breakfast daily and transportation to Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg. Packages start at $605 per night; available from Dec. 21 to 26.
Since opening in 1937, the inn has been a place of respite for royalty, politicians and celebrities. Extensive renovations over the past three years have enhanced the property’s classic elegance (a doorman in a top hat and tails greets you) while adding 21st century amenities and a new terraced pool. Explore the inn’s first-floor lounges and nooks for gorgeous holiday décor and photos of famous guests. Rates begin at $419.
Wedmore Place at Wessex Hundred
This Old World European-style boutique hotel, surrounded by 300 acres of farmland and vineyards as part of the Williamsburg Winery property, has 28 romantic rooms and suites decorated with antiques and tapestries inspired by notable wine regions. Many have wood-burning fireplaces. Rates start at $160. A continental breakfast and a Williamsburg Winery tour and tasting for two are included.
Holiday Events
Colonial Williamsburg Grand Illumination—Dec. 2, 4-7 p.m.
In keeping with the 18th century tradition of celebrating special events with illuminations (such as military victories or the anniversary of a reigning sovereign’s birth), you can stroll along the streets of the historic area to see holiday decorations, enjoy musical performances on multiple stages and catch the fireworks—all for free.
Holiday Pops with the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra—Dec. 1 and 2 (two shows each day)
This year, the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra is teaming up with two church choirs for an even bigger take on this holiday tradition.
Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade—Dec. 1
Power boats and sailing vessels bedecked in twinkling lights that cast red and purple ripples in their wake compete for best in show in this floating parade off Riverwalk Landing. Caroling around a bonfire, music and complimentary hot cider round out the festivities.
Holiday Concert—The King’s Singers—Dec. 21, St. Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg
Formed by six recently graduated choral scholars from King’s College in Cambridge in 1968, The King’s Singers—Britain’s beloved Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble—perform ancient and modern Christmas music from across its repertoire, including selections from Christmas, Christmas Songbook and Gold, their 50th anniversary album.
For a listing of all holiday activities in Williamsburg and Yorktown, visit visitwilliamsburg.com and visityorktown.org.
Christine Koubek is a travel and essay writer, and teacher at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda who divides her time between Montgomery County, Maryland, and Virginia’s Tidewater region.