This Christmas, Husband and I decided to spend the holiday with my mother-in-law in historic Colonial Williamsburg. We had an amazing time, visiting not only the historic and shopping districts, but also getting to see Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. Our first day we spent wandering around the historic district, visiting the historic shops to learn about the different trades (and of course picking up some 18th century essentials), and wandering the gardens which were still impressive even in the dead of winter. I have to say that my favorite stop was at the Milliner's shop where I met another girl who was just as crazy as I was about sewing and when she saw my enthusiasm for her work she was excited to show me more and more! I loved getting to peek at the collection of trims and the handiwork on the inside of all kinds of garments. I could have stayed there all day with her and occupied all her time!
That evening we spent Christmas Eve at Busch Gardens. They have different sections of the park that represent different parts of Europe and every section was decorated differently. It was unbelievably cold, but beautiful and totally enchanting. The park wasn't busy at all and the people who were there were all in the Christmas mood and were enjoying the sites as much as we were. We even got to see a Snow Owl and some penguins along with the obligatory Clydesdale horses (though we only got to see one).
Christmas morning we woke to another beautiful day. My mother-in-law and I went off by ourselves to tour the DeWitt Decorative Arts Museum and then tour the modern stables of Williamsburg. I'm always really interested in the workings of commercial stables because of my background in horseback riding. I really loved getting to see the unique crossbreeds that they had working as well, my favorite being a Percheron ~ American Quarter Horse cross. That night we had Christmas dinner at the Shield's Tavern. Dinner was served by candlelight in a small traditional room. We had costumed entertainers come to sing and perform for us and the food was amazing!
Sunday we awoke to what eventually turned into a blizzard! We decided to cut our visit short and just get on the road to head home. As we drove though the weather and roads got better and better and we made it home safely and in plenty of time. I would love to go back to Williamsburg soon though. It's no secret that I'm head over heels for the fashion and life of the 18th century.
Of all the things I picked up this weekend I think I'm most enamored with the paper patterns for both a robe polonaise and a robe a la Francaise, and two new books about 18th century clothing. Which brings me to a new feature on the blog! On the right side you can see what I'm currently reading (like the new books I just picked up) and check out links for each book on Amazon. I do get a bit for every book that's bought through the links, but really I just like to share what I'm reading with all of you (because I tend to read up a ton on whatever my current boom is!).
No comments:
Post a Comment