Our Trip Blog

Events of Saturday, December 25, 2010

            Merry Christmas everybody! As we awoke bright and early this Christmas morning, we hurriedly put in contacts, changed, made beds, and anxiously awaited the sound of the signal bell. But at 8:15, Dad came upstairs and said that Grandma and Grandpa were still asleep. How could anyone sleep past 8 o’clock on Christmas morning? But soon, we heard the bell ringing and made our way down the stairs. Back in Elk Grove, we almost jump down the stairs, but since the stairs in this house are so steep and narrow, we were forced to slowly go down one at a time, regardless how excited we were.

            Once downstairs, we snacked on Grandma’s homemade Stollen and chocolate croissants while waiting for everyone to congregate in the living room. We drew cards to decide who would open their stocking first, and Caitlin won. She followed the clues Dad wrote for her to find a gift of many fuzzy socks, knee socks, over the knee socks, and leg warmers. In turn, each of us followed the clues left for us and, after some frustrating searching and funny clues, all found our gifts. Grandpa got a surplus of Williamsburg sweets, a DVD, a beer from Williamsburg, and a beer stein from Capital Brewery. Grandma found her Williamsburg wine and red Cardinal wine stopper. Aunt Jennifer received an old fashioned, long-lasting rope candle and a set of scented soaps. Dad’s gift was slippers, washcloths (since he is notorious for leaving them all across the country), a watch, and a (matchbox) Porsche. Mom found her two DVDs: The Blind Side and The Sound of Music. I (Ben), after much searching, found my well-hidden scarf/mask, a promise for a 2x2x2 Rubik’s Cube (since it was inadvertently sent to Elk Grove instead of Williamsburg), and a (plastic) snake. After visiting my mom’s Cousin Dan’s reptile collection in Illinois, I have been asking for a snake. But I guess everyone decided that traveling with a snake in an RV isn’t practical and that I might have problems with customs when we get to Europe. Lindsey got books of Advice from Nature, a woman’s Bible, a bookmark, and a giant postcard. And although Abby’s gift was backordered, she was still excited about the promise of a rug-hooking kit.

            Time flew, and soon brunch was ready. Like at home, we love Christmas Brunch. The table was full with scrambled eggs, omelettes, toast, bacon, and more Stollen and croissants. It was absolutely delicious and very filling. It was a long while before we were hungry again!

            Wanting to see the “Conversation with President Jefferson” in Colonial Williamsburg at noon, we hustled out to the RV, unplugged our electrical cord, and prepared for a day of colonial adventures. But when we reached the information desk, the event’s tickets were gone. Oh no! So instead of rushing to the historic area, we decided to take a slower pace. I’m glad we did, for otherwise we would have missed the Good Hope Plantation. Located on the footpath to the main historic area, this is a working plantation that shows visitors the plantation life.

            When we walked onto the grounds, we saw a large house, which we expected to represent the house of the plantation owner. However, a costumed guide showed us the way to the actual house, which was a simple, one-room shack with a dirt floor. Then what was the big structure? The tobacco barn. The first and most important building on a Virginia plantation was the tobacco barn. It housed the drying tobacco leaves, which was the cash crop of the colony. The master of the small plantation lived in the humble shack with his slaves until he could save enough profits to build a large house.

            In the small log cabin, we met two African-American interpreters who did a fantastic job of explaining the slave’s jobs and mindset. One man focused on the degradation of the slave’s status and on a slave’s feelings at Christmas. In the 1700s, Christmas to a slave was a chance to have free time with their family. However, the holiday season was also a time for concern. Christmas was, for wealthy whites, a time of gifts and weddings. Since slaves were property, they were common gifts for these occasions. Also, when a young gentry man or lady gets married on Twelfth Night as was custom at the time, many newlyweds receive child slaves from their fathers. So while celebration and rest were a source of relaxation during the holiday, slaves felt an underlying worry creeping up that this Christmas might be their last as a family.

            As the interpreter began his spiel anew, we headed down the Palace Green to the lumber house, where we inquired about making reservations to meet a different historic character. As we left, we heard a pounding—the start of the parade of Fifes and Drums. We rushed down the Duke of Gloucester Street toward the Capitol where the parade was just beginning. The musicians were young—ranging from middle schoolers to a few high schoolers—but very talented and well trained. When a rank came across piles of horse manure, they just kept in step and marched right through it. That takes discipline! At the end of the parade, they performed a rousing Yankee Doodle and were dismissed into the massive crowd. None of us expected so many visitors on Christmas—or dogs! Almost every family brought their dog; most canines were dressed for the holidays. As we made our way back to the main road and shops, we ran into familiar faces. We had found Grandma and Aunt Jennifer, who were coming for the free shops and entertainment.

            We visited a few shops with them before heading inside the shoemaker’s shop. In the shop, it was 1776. The cobbler did a fantastic job of acting historically and keeping us engaged. He was making a double-soled shoe for distribution amongst the poor. He could guarantee the shoe for three years, at which time the needy person could buy a new pair if he had the money or hope for another charitable gift. In the 1700s, shoes were very different. Many sizes and styles were kept in stock, but if a customer wanted specially-fitted shoes, measurements could be made. The lass, or shape of the foot around which the shoe was constructed, was not right- or left-footed; all shoes were made off a straight base. Unlike our shoes today, which are designed to a “typical” foot form, the supple leather shoes of the 18^th century fit themselves to the wearer’s foot. We also got a taste of the importance of England in the trade. England provided all the quality leather because Virginia-made leather was too coarse for shoemaking. The cobbler introduced us to John Adams’ idea of the thirds of 1776, where 1/3 of the population was loyal to the King, 1/3 wanted revolution, and 1/3 did not voice any strong opinion. He added that, since he had a wife and five kids, he did not speak out too strongly against the rebels because he might end up tarred and feathered.

            Next, we visited the magazine and hatmaker before finding Grandma and Aunt Jennifer again. United, we went to the silversmith’s shop. Here, we oohed and aahed at the intricate handmade jewelry. Aunt Jennifer and Grandma headed back to the rental home while we went inside the silversmith’s workshop. Here, hoping to see more metalworking, we instead enjoyed a bit of a holiday party. There were muffins, cookies, and all types of sparkling ciders, including apple, peach, pear, and blood orange. As we headed outside, we were shocked—snow! Although it wasn’t sticking yet, it was still a White Christmas!

            We hustled over to the Capitol for the second-to-last tour of the day. Inside the building, the year was 1765, and the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Constitution were in the process of ratification. Our tour took us through the hall in which the House of Burgesses met, the Governor’s office, and the Courtroom. The historic setting provided a great link to show the building’s true functions. As we exited the Capitol, we saw the shuttle bus pulling into the stop, so we all ran through the falling snowflakes and hopped aboard seconds before the driver departed. As we looked outside through steamy windows, we saw that the snow was just beginning to stick to the grass.