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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Star Wars inspired wreaths were created by Katherine Ainslie using nothing but materials that would have been found in colonial times.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Another Star Wars wreath by Katherine Ainslie featured rope coiled into shapes reminiscent of Princess Leia's hair buns.
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Photos used courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Another of Katherine Ainslie's wreaths included seven small oranges to represent the seven Star Wars movies.
In the week or so before Colonial Williamsburg kicks off the holiday season with its Grand Illumination, the decorations start to pop out.
But because this is Colonial Williamsburg, these aren’t ordinary decorations. You won’t find twinkling lights, shiny ornaments or inflatable Santa Clauses on Duke of Gloucester Street.
Instead, visitors are treated to Christmas decorations reminiscent of old-fashioned times. That means any adornments you see are made with items that had to be available in the 18th century. Think evergreen wreaths—but real ones. Apples, oranges, limes and lemons instead of shiny colored glass balls. Forget red-and-green patterned bows. Rather, you might find sprigs of winter berries to provide color.
“It’s very festive,” says Laura Viancour, Colonial Williamsburg’s manager of landscape services. “People just like to come and stroll the streets because of the ambiance.”
Viancour and her staff are responsible for decorating all of the historic buildings throughout Colonial Williamsburg—except for those rented by employees and their families who lives in homes scattered among the public buildings. Decorating falls upon them, and they take their responsibility very seriously.
There’s even a contest, split into two categories—one for the amateurs who decorate their houses themselves, and one for those who hire professionals to tackle the task for them.
The Ainslie/Morse family, who live in the George Pitt house, are not the latter. For the past three years, the couple and their children have mixed a touch of whimsy into their decorations, working superheroes, light sabers and even a boy wizard into their themes.
Last year’s theme was Star Wars. And yes, one wreath had light sabers on it—but not the ones you might think. Katherine Ainslie followed the rules, using nothing but materials that would have been found in colonial times. The hilts were fashioned by a talented CW tinsmith out of old candle holders. The light sabers themselves were three candles lashed together.
Her other wreaths featured Princess Leia (rope coiled into shapes reminiscent of hair buns), Chewbacca (tin and leather fashioned to create the Wookie’s bandolier) and, of course, Yoda (magnolia leaves for ears, dried artichokes for eyes). The front door wreath included seven small oranges to represent the seven Star Wars movies.
The wreaths were simple and subtle. They blended in with those on the other houses. But they were also delightfully different.
“People would ask, ‘Which way to the Star Wars house?’” Ainslie, who works at William & Mary’s law school, recalls. Her significant other, Alex Morse, is a CW costumed interpreter. “There would be bunches of people outside the house at any given time.”
Not all of the residents who decorate their homes choose a theme. Some simply go for simple elegance, using items such as dried yarrow, wheat stalks and pinecones to adorn their wreaths. One resident, costumed interpreter Debbie Lewis, uses dough that she molds into specific shapes and then bakes. One year, she focused on nursery rhymes, and one of her wreaths featured dough characters of a cow jumping over a moon.
Another house chooses themes such as hunting, coffee, and wine. The year the residents did wine, they made wreaths and kissing balls out of corks. The coffee theme featured burlap coffee bags and tavern mugs.
“Some people just want to make something pretty,” Ainslie says.
“Everyone does such beautiful decorations—being able to contribute to that is an honor, and I appreciate that they allow for residents like us to do that in our own quirky way.”
Colonial Williamsburg’s current way of decorating goes back to the 1930s, when the Rev. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church and the one who helped lead CW’s restoration, wanted to create a way of decorating for Christmas based on old times.
“Colonial folks didn’t decorate the way we do, with presents and Christmas trees,” says Viancour, “with presents and Christmas trees. In colonial times, there were more religious observances, more feasting.”
In fact, researchers could only come up with one painting that showed any greens used for exterior holiday decorating at all. So town leaders pulled together different traditions, deciding to decorate with candles in windows, which came from Boston, and green wreaths, which were used to celebrate the king’s birthday as shown in an 18th century painting, Viancour says.
In the 1940s, a Williamsburg flower arranger named Louise Fischer—inspired by an Italian sculptor and an 18th century wood carver—began using fresh fruit and other foliage among the greens. Eventually, a contest was born, to light-heartedly encourage the residents to join in the fun of decorating using natural, 18th century ingredients.
Colonial Williamsburg provides some of the basic supplies to residents, including the green wreaths and fruit, Viancour says. There are several different wreath-making sessions for residents, and CW staff is often hired to help out at different residences.
The whole historic district gets into the fun of decorating, with residents helping each other out and offering tips. The decorations are always up Grand Illumination, the after-Thanksgiving event that welcomes in the holidays.
“You can go to the Colonial Garden up the street and ask for something,” Ainslie says. “Like—‘I need something fluffy and white.’ Or, ‘I need something purple and prickly.’”
Ainslie admitted being a bit overwhelmed the first year she faced decorating her home. She decided to get her four children—Alexandra, 13; Senet, 7; Thaine, 6; and Flynn, 3—involved, and together the family came up with a theme. They’ve kept up that tradition of choosing together.
The theme that first year was the Avengers, after the comic book heroes. (It turns out you can create an abstract likeness of the Hulk with magnolia leaves.) The following year, the family chose Harry Potter. One of their wreaths featured tiny wooden broomsticks. Another had rolled-up scrolls of parchment paper and feather quills on it.
None of their creations has ever won a blue ribbon, but Ainslie says that doesn’t matter.
“My kids are thrilled, so I’ve won,” she says. “As long as the decorations are keeping people happy and bringing people to Colonial Williamsburg, it’s all good. To see people be so happy, that’s what makes it cool. That’s the most ‘Christmassy’ thing about it.”
As for this year’s theme? It’s a secret.
For more information, visit colonialwilliamsburg.com.