Mark Calendars with Holiday Events in the Triangle

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, December 14, 2011

From twinkling lights to the soft strains of holiday tunes, we have plenty of Christmas attractions worthy of a spot in your calendar. Gather family and friends and set out for some of the events we’ve included in our round-up for the next two weeks.

Admire the Trimmings

• Get a glimpse at some of the most inspired holiday decorations on the Colonial Williamsburg Christmas Decorations Walking Tour. The tour is offered at 9:15 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. daily until Dec. 31, excluding Christmas Day. It costs $10 with a Colonial Williamsburg admission pass and $15 without a Historic Area pass. Contact Penna Rogers at progers@cwf.org for more information.

• Pay a visit to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens, which features visits with Santa Claus, penguins, a singing Christmas tree, special holiday shows and thousands of twinkling lights. Find details here.

Enjoy Holiday Music

The Historic Triangle has no shortage of talented singers and musicians who will be performing the very best of the seasonal hits. Here are some suggestions for a musical outing:

• American Folk Songs for Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg. Click here.
• A Celtic Christmas with Poisoned Dwarf, at the Bena Country Store. More info here.
• Mandolins for the Holidays, at the DeWitt Wallace Museum. More here.
• Wassail, a children’s Christmas concert featuring unusual instruments, at the DeWitt Wallace. Click here.
• Celebrate the Season, starring pianist Don Irwin, at the Kimball Theatre. Click here.
• IONA, a Celtic band, will present a holiday-themed concert at the Williamsburg Library Theatre. Click here.
• “Piping Hot for Christmas” organ concert, at Williamsburg United Methodist Church on Sunday. Click here.
• “Need a Little Christmas: Holiday Songs from a Broadway Baby,” featuring Melissa Dye at the Kimball Theatre. Click here.
• “Joyous Holiday Strings,” marking Christmas, Hannukah and the winter solstice with hammered dulcimer, guitar and Celtic harp, at the DeWitt Wallace Museum. Click here.
• “A Big Band Christmas,” featuring the Williamsburg Classic Swing Orchestra, at Kimball Theatre. Click here.
• “Old Time Country Holiday,” featuring traditional American and Appalachian songs, at the DeWitt Wallace. Click here.

Take the Family to the Ballet

“The Nutcracker” is one of the most well-known ballets for good reason; the classic ballet, set to a score by composer Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky, features a kid-friendly storyline of magic at Christmastime that seems to bring a toy to life.

The Virginia Regional Ballet will perform the beloved ballet at 7:30 p.m. Friday, at 2 p.m. Saturday and at Phi Beta Kappa Hall at the College of William and Mary. Tickets cost $20-$30 and can be reserved by calling (757) 221-2674.

The Kimball Theatre will show a film of the San Francisco Ballet’s “Nutcracker” at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $3.

Watch a Classic Movie

The Williamsburg Regional Library will present three classic holiday films leading up to Christmas. Movies begin at 2 p.m. at the Williamsburg location. All of the movies are free.

On Thursday, remember comedian Bob Hope by taking in “Hope for the Holidays,” a collection of clips from Hope’s Christmas TV specials from the 1950s to 1980s. Featured stars include Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Phyllis Diller, Phil Silvers and Redd Foxx.

Directly after the Hope clips, the library will show “Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Show,” featuring the musical clips from Williams’ annual Christmas shows that aired in the 1960s.

On Dec. 22, the library will screen the 1951 adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Take in a Celestial Light Show

The Virginia Living Museum’s Abbitt Planetarium presents two popular evening programs this holiday season. Journey with the magi in “Star of Wonder: Mystery of the Christmas Star” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday or rock on to holiday hits with “Laser Holidays” at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Purchase seats in advance; tickets cost $6 per program and $10 for double features. Call 595-1900.

Learn About Holidays of the Past

Colonial Williamsburg is offering special holiday Civil War programming, including a concert and walking tour.

“An Un-Civil Christmas: Holiday Music of the Civil War” will feature music that gave soldiers on both sides comfort during the Civil War. The concert will be offered at 7:30 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 21, 24, 28, 30 and Jan. 1 at the Courthouse. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children under six.

CW’s Civil War Tour gives guests a chance to learn Williamsburg’s role in the American Civil War, visiting major Civil War sites in the town. Tours are offered at 7, 7:20, 7:40, 8:20, 8:40 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 15 and Dec. 26 at the Courthouse. Tickets are $15 for adults and youth ages six to 17 and $7.50 for children under six.

Find more CW holiday events here.

Get a sense of how colonists marked the holidays at Jamestown by checking out “A Colonial Christmas” this month, until Dec. 31.

In England, the holiday season was a time of merriment and feasting, but little is known about Christmases in Jamestown. Holiday-themed tours are offered each day at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m., visiting the outdoor areas of the Jamestown Settlement. Visitors will learn about the colonists’ Christmas at sea in 1606. They might also encounter the Lord of Misrule, an English tradition in which “grand captain of all mischief” and his followers progressed through town with riddles and revelry.

Jamestown Settlement is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily year-round, except for Christmas and New Year’s Day. A combination ticket to the Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center is $20 for adults and $10 for ages 6-12. Admission to the Settlement is $15.50 for adults and $7.25 for kids ages 6-12. Children under 6 do not pay admission. Complimentary admission is provided for residents of James City County, York County and Williamsburg, including the College of William and Mary, with proof of residency.

For the holiday, a “History is Fun for the Holidays” ticket is available online here.

Christmas held little merriment for soldiers during the Revolutionary War. At the Yorktown Victory Center, learn about what the holidays were like in the military encampments during the war and see holiday preparations at the 1780s farm. At 11:05 a.m. and 3:05 p.m. daily, visitors can observe artillery demonstrations. At the farm, historical interpreters will demonstrate the preparations for a holiday feast, decorating with greenery, candle dipping and open-hearth cooking.

Yorktown Victory Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily year-round, except for Christmas and New Year’s days. Admission is $9.50 for adults, $5.25 for children 6 to 12 and free for children under 6. Parking is free. Admission is complimentary for Historic Triangle residents, with proof of residency.

Enjoy an evening of caroling and an audience with Governor Yeardley and the Reverend Buck at the Memorial Church on Jamestown Island, concluding with the firing of the Christmas guns. The special holiday event will be at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 21.

Remember the Reason for the Season

Colonial Williamsburg will offer “A Sermon for the Season,” a religious celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, at 11 a.m. Monday at the Wren Chapel at The College of William and Mary. No admission required.

Hear Classic Christmas Tales

Interpreters will bring two classic Christmas stories – “Twelve Days” and “The Night Before Christmas” – to life at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve at the DeWitt Wallace Museum. Reservations are required, but are free. Call 220-7121.

Ring in the New Year

Welcome 2012 at one of these events:

• Noon Year’s Eve Day Celebration, a day-time family-friendly celebration at the Virginia Living Museum. Details here.
• Happy Hogmanay, a daytime Scottish celebration to ring in the new year, at the DeWitt Wallace Museum. More info here.
• First Night Williamsburg, a non-alcoholic event for all ages, in downtown Williamsburg. More info here.