THE GREAT CHRISTMAS ROADTRIP

{Originally published December 5, 2018}

Last year after much planning, discussing, and playlist-making, my friend Hilary and I drove up to Williamsburg, VA for a couple day Christmas getaway. Ours is a friendship sparked from a mutual love of Sonic and Anne of Green Gables, and grown through years of reading and phone calls disguised as book discussions (look, when you’re reading Lewis, there are a thousand tangential jumping-off points). To spend hours on the road and meandering through Virginia seemed like a natural continuation. When we started our excursion with a stop in Richmond to visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, I didn’t know what to expect, but found a treasure trove of French Impressionists. Hilary was very gracious as I practically happy danced my way through the galleries.

In Williamsburg, at the Wythe House - one of my favorite spots in town. An additional note : There are going to be a lot of wreaths in this post, so strap in.

On the Palace Green, we met Edwin. He’s a traveling artist who can speak French, read Greek, and spent the better part of a decade sailing. He is also a delightful conversation partner, confirming my suspicions that it’s generally worthwhile to talk to strangers.

On the second day, we slept in and made an afternoon/evening of it in Busch Gardens. Not wanting to navigate the choppy waters of roller coasters + fancy cameras, all the photos I have from the day are of the blurry, iPhone variety. The memories are warm, though. The next day we went driving out along the James River, avoiding pricy plantations and taking a ferry just for the heck of it.

Back in Colonial Williamsburg, where oysters somehow work as Christmas decor (not only do they work - they look great!).