Christmas Vacation

[KentuckyCeltophile]

My wife and I spent the last five days in Williamsburg, Virginia. Most people in the US know it as “Colonial Williamsburg”. We wanted to experience some Christmas decorations, singing, story-telling, and general Christmas spirit. I didn’t expect to see many kilts there, but I did. For our international brethren, Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia during its stent as a British colony up to 1776. The capital was moved and many of the founding fathers’ homes and state buildings were forgotten. In the 1950s, several city blocks still existed and was restored back to its colonial style. Now, you can visit there and experience “what it would be like in colonial America in the 18th century”. Tourist trap!!! I am a huge history fanatic, so I loved every minute of the vacation. I learned many stories of life during that era as well as Christmas tales and traditions.

To make a long story short, there were several Scots who worked there, wearing kilts and playing music. One man was a lovely violin player in the Scottish style. He had the perfect accent for telling stories and giving brief history lessons. My wife and I could listen to his stories for hours. The other man worked in one of the authentic 18th century taverns and played the violin as part of the dinner entertainment. I loved hearing them play.

On our final evening, we visited Busch Gardens Christmas Village. Basically, it was a theme park at night covered in Christmas lights decorations. The park is divided up into countries (i.e.-Germany, Italy, England) like Scotland. In this area, there were Christmas songs, hymns, and caroles played by bagpipes. It just meshed well with the holiday decorations. Along with the hot chocolate, it really put me in the Christmas mood. It was truly an enjoyable experience that reminded me of my love for history and all things Scot.

Happy Christmas to all!!