Have a historic Christmas courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg.

Feasting and celebration were a big part of the Christmas season in colonial Virginia. Then, as now, families and friends gathered to celebrate the holiday with the best their tables could offer. In eighteenth-century Virginia, the holiday season began on December 24 and ran through Twelfth Night on January 6. For centuries, Twelfth Night was really the highlight of the holiday season. Although this celebration was not deeply rooted in the American colonies, in the eighteenth century it was celebrated in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Visit the free lesson plan at A Colonial Christmas in Williamsburg and your student will learn how to:

• Plan a colonial Christmas event
• Demonstrate colonial Christmas customs
• Participate in a colonial Christmas activity