For you today, three favorite Christmas memories from the SW editors…
Lara: Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I love decorating, the music, the focus on God, the family time, the food… and my birthday is two days after Christmas… then New Year’s 4 days after that. It’s a packed holiday time. My favorite memory has to be camping out with my little brother in one of our rooms on Christmas Eve so we would both make sure to wake up at the same time. There may have been some hunting for Christmas presents together involved as well. Maybe.
Katharine: It’s been a few years (okay, seven to be exact) since we’ve made the trek, but for as long as I can remember the Watermans always spent Christmas celebrating with my father’s family in Rhode Island. (If you’ve ever set out on a ten-hour roadtrip with four children under the age of eight, you know “trek” is a serious understatement.) Grandma Waterman and her furry poodle, Paddington Bear, would host her four children and their similarly large families for a week of baking, American Girl Doll tea parties (I had Felicity, of course!) and, if we were lucky, sledding! While I don’t miss the “are we there yets” and countless bathroom stops on our way to Gram’s, I do miss her cozy New England saltbox. Still, I have to admit: there’s something extra special about being home for the holidays – especially if one’s home is in Williamsburg. (If you haven’t seen Duke of Gloucester street done up in lights, you’re missing out on some real-life Christmas magic!)
Emily: It has to be a toss-up between picking a Christmas tree and the candlelight service at my church. We’ve always gone to the same small, family-owned farm to tromp through the rows, scouting for the fullest, the most fragrant, and the exactly-right-height spruce, and the hunt is one of my favorite parts of the season. On the other hand, somehow it doesn’t really seem like Christmas until I’m at the Christmas Eve candlelight service.
What’s your favorite Christmas memory?
Katharine;I hope you will be coming home to Williamsburg for the holidays. Even though the snow has melted, you are right, there is nothing like Christmas in Williamsburg, VA. As for travelling to see grandparents for the holidays, I can so relate to the ten hour trip and the "are we there yets?’ My family used to travel from Connecticut to Richmond, VA for the holidays and I remember the turkey dinners, coconut cakes and awesome presents that Grandma and Pa used to have for us. May we all have cherished and precious memories of the holidays.Be blessed,MonicaWilliamsburg, VA
My favorite christmas memory is the tradition of watching "The Muppet Christmas Carol" every year on Christmas eve. We usually don’t getting around to watching the movie until late (11 or 12 ish) and it seems like a fight to stay awake, but our christmas isn’t complete without watching it. My sister and I could probably quote the movie word for word. This year is my first year away from my family (I have moved to London), but I made sure that I got a copy of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" before I left the states….MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!
Monica, I can’t tell you how EXCITED I am to know a fellow Williamsburg native is keeping up with the SW blog! I love Williamsburg (and Virginia!) and am going to enjoy writing posts a little more now that I know someone from my hometown is reading along. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and that our paths cross sometime in the near future. I’ll be sure to stop by the store! Love of SW Love,Katharine