Governor Proclaims December Virginia Christmas Tree Month
News Release Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell has declared December 2011 as Virginia Christmas Tree Month. While the proclamation is up-to-date with the latest facts on Virginia’s Christmas tree industry, the Governor and First Lady are taking a step back in time this year with their decorations for the Executive Mansion as a part of the commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
Decorating trees began in Virginia in1842 when Charles Minnegerode, a professor at the College of William and Mary, introduced the German custom of the Christmas tree to the citizens of Williamsburg. He decorated a tree with strings of popcorn, gilded nuts and lighted candles. The tradition was firmly ensconced by the Civil War, and in keeping with the filming of Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln” taking place in Capitol Square through mid-December, this holiday season the Governor's Mansion will be decked with boughs of greenery and vintage decorations to replicate that earlier period.
Christmas in the 1860s in both the North and South had many of the customs we know today. The yuletide tone evolved from a solemn religious event to a more public and festive one of feasts and fêtes. In the South, children eagerly awaited the arrival of Santa Claus and hung their stockings with care. Christmas cards were just coming into vogue and celebrants enjoyed treats and libations, familiar today, while carolers sang songs we would recognize. Greenery festooned entryways and mantelpieces, while the Christmas tree was more diminutive, sitting on table tops and decorated with popcorn and cranberry chains, paper decorations, candied fruits and miniature toys. The tree was briefly lit with small candles clipped carefully on open branches. German glass ornaments were a new luxury, as few were available and highly valued. Small gifts under the tree were wrapped in scrap wallpaper and tied with hemp string intermingled with candied fruits and nuts.
Little is known how the mansion was decorated during the wartime tenure of Governor John Letcher, but other documents abound, including engravings and photographs, giving credible direction to the mansion’s yuletide decor. The simplicity of decorating and lack of ostentation is a reminder of the simpler tastes during wartime and also lends a modern day green theme to Virginia’s iconic Governor’s Mansion.
The decorations may have changed over the decades, but for Virginians, choosing fresh, locally grown Christmas trees has become one of the most popular traditions of the holiday season. Today Virginia Christmas trees are an essential part of the seasonal celebration. The Governor’s Mansion will boast a large tree provided by Claybrooke Farms in Louisa County, with wreaths provided by Crazy Joe’s Tree Farm in Culpeper and greenery by Mill Farm Christmas Trees of Williamsburg.
The growers, all members of the Virginia Christmas Tree Association, remind consumers that real Virginia Christmas trees contribute to a healthy environment by adding oxygen to the air, providing wildlife habitat and increasing soil stability. Virginia Christmas trees are a renewable resource and for every one harvested, two to three seedlings are planted in its place. When buyers choose real Virginia Christmas trees, their purchases benefit the environment and local and state economies as well as those who enjoy the tree’s freshness, fragrance and lasting beauty.
The public is invited to travel back in time to 1861 as they enter the mansion’s portal to Christmas past. The Mansion will have open houses from 10 to 4 p.m. on December 20 and 21. No reservations are necessary for the open house.
Consumers can drive an hour or less in any direction in Virginia and find fresh Virginia Grown Christmas trees to purchase. At those farms and retail stands, they will be able to choose from a wide variety including white and Scotch pines, Norway and Colorado blue spruces as well as Douglas and Fraser firs. For information about fresh Virginia Grown Christmas trees, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has published the 2011 Virginia Grown Christmas Tree Guide, available by calling 804.786.2285 or by sending a request to VDACS, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218. The information is also available online at VirginiaGrown.com.