Traditional Colonial Holiday Crafts, Wreaths, Recipes & Seasonal Decorating Ideas
Collector’s Note
Colonial Williamsburg publications have long been prized by decorators, gardeners, and history enthusiasts for their ability to blend practical instruction with traditional American design. Christmas Decorations From Williamsburg captures the timeless holiday style that made Williamsburg famous—fresh greenery, fruit arrangements, wreaths, swags, table displays, and seasonal entertaining inspired by eighteenth-century traditions.
Richly illustrated with full-color photography and detailed instructions, it remains a valuable sourcebook for anyone seeking a classic, natural approach to Christmas decorating.
Bring the beauty and warmth of a traditional Williamsburg Christmas into your home with Christmas Decorations From Williamsburg by Susan Hight Rountree.
Published by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, this beautifully illustrated guide showcases the festive decorations and holiday traditions that have become synonymous with Williamsburg's celebrated Christmas season. Featuring stunning color photography by David M. Doody and Tom Green, along with twenty-seven charming illustrations by Elizabeth Hundley Babb, the book offers inspiration for both traditional and contemporary holiday decorating.
Natural materials including fresh greenery, pinecones, berries, fruits, nuts, herbs, and dried botanicals are combined in ways that reflect both colonial traditions and modern decorating tastes. Detailed instructions and step-by-step projects for creating:
- Wreaths
- Swags
- Garland and roping
- Table centerpieces
- Mantel decorations
- Window displays
- Topiaries and cone trees
- Kissing balls and fruit arrangements
In addition to decorating projects, the book includes festive recipes and entertaining ideas that reflect the hospitality and charm associated with Colonial Williamsburg's holiday celebrations.
Whether displayed on a coffee table, used as a decorating reference, or given as a holiday gift, this volume remains one of the most attractive Williamsburg Christmas guides ever published.
Historical Note: The Williamsburg Christmas Tradition
For decades, Colonial Williamsburg has been celebrated for its distinctive Christmas decorations inspired by eighteenth-century traditions. Rather than relying on manufactured ornaments, Williamsburg decorators popularized the use of natural materials such as fruits, pinecones, magnolia leaves, greenery, herbs, berries, and dried flowers.
These displays became so influential that "Williamsburg style" evolved into its own decorating movement, inspiring countless books, magazine articles, and holiday home tours throughout the United States. Today, many of the decorating techniques featured in this book continue to influence traditional American Christmas decorating.
Condition: 1991 copyright, Fifth Printing 1996. Evergreen cloth hardcover with gold embossed spine lettering and original dust jacket. Both book and jacket remain in excellent condition with only minimal signs of handling. Pages are clean and bright, binding is tight, and the full-color photographs remain vivid throughout.
Author Biography
Susan Hight Rountree is an American author, designer, and educator known for her work with Colonial Williamsburg and her books on decorating, entertaining, gardening, and miniatures. Drawing upon her background in art history and design, she became known for making historical decorating techniques accessible to modern readers.
Her books emphasize creativity, practicality, and the use of natural materials, encouraging readers to create beautiful seasonal displays without excessive expense. Through her association with Colonial Williamsburg, she helped introduce generations of readers to traditional American decorative arts and holiday customs.
Browse the Biographies & Reference Books for more Christmas decorating and entertaining books.
