For history buffs, the Eastern Shore of Virginia offers a cornucopia of delights- – our discovery and colonization in the early 1600’s, the trove of Colonial documents in the Eastville courthouse, the repository of the oldest continuous records in the US, the Arlington Plantation historic site, the Pear Valley yeoman’s cottage with a chimney brick dated 1631, our hundreds of historic homes lovingly restored and maintained. So it’s only natural that folks from the Shore feel a special kinship with that amazing re-creation of life in Colonial times, the Historic Area in Williamsburg, Virginia. Especially at the holidays.
To me, few things say holiday spirit and Yule tide decoration like the amazing all-natural wreaths and swags to be found on every door of every building in the
Historic Area. So, as often as possible, we try to have our traditional family turkey/stuffing/trimmings Thanksgiving dinner, complete with kids, grandkids and now, great grandkids, on Wednesday evening. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, hubby and I plus Eldest Daughter, etc. have lunch in Williamsburg at one of the old Taverns or at the gorgeously decorated Lodge.
One of the great things about living on the Eastern Shore is its central location- -we are so close to so many great places. So a trip to Williamsburg is a zip, zip of less than 2 hours, easy peasy. But when you arrive, it’s like stepping out of a time capsule, immediately drawn into a Colonial world, complete with horse drawn carriages, sheep grazing on the village green and residents going about their day dressed in long woolen cloaks, beribboned bonnets and tri-corn hats.
But first, lunch. From the many buffet choices, including a savory white bean bisque with fennel and sausage, a 
delicious roast pork with figs and new potatoes plus a myriad of salads, cheeses and charcuterie galore in between, lunch at The Lodge was truly delightful. The only thing I shall mention about the amazing dessert table is that the gingerbread with custard sauce was divine, exceeded only by the demi-tasse cups of decadent hot chocolate. Enough said, it was great !
But the big event of The Day is always the walk afterwards down Duke of Gloucester Street to see the wreaths. After all these years, I still love it as much as I did the very first time we came. The beauty of the decorations, the pine fragrance of all the greenery, the smoke from the bonfire, the cadence of the horse carriages as they travel down the street, the friendly dogs taking their masters for a walk, the excitement of the kids as the cannon booms, the smiling faces all around – – this says holiday to me.
