So, apparently we made a good choice in flying to DC the day we did, since the next day it started snowing and didn’t stop for another 2 days!

Luckily, we traveled down to Williamsburg for the weekend before it all started, so we missed out on most of it. It was just getting dark when we arrived at the Historic Powhatan Plantation. At the end of a long drive, the big red brick Colonial house greets visitors with bright candles in the windows. Fife and drum players stood on the steps playing tunes. Ah, Colonial Christmas.

In our “arrival papers” we got a brochure for “Christmas Town” at Busch Gardens. With nothing else to do that night, we headed over. It had started to snow lightly, but wasn’t too bad yet. Just as we got there we received some really bad news. Our friends Kristie and Jared were supposed to meet us in Williamsburg for the weekend (it’s halfway between NC and DC, hence the trip) but because of work obligations they had to be SURE to get back for, and an unpredictable storm coming in, they couldn’t come. After that setback, we were determined to lift our spirits even more at Christmas Town.

I’ve never been to Busch Gardens in the summer, but in the winter the ride entrances are closed off and the path to the different country themed “villages” are pretty definite. There were different scenes in each one, like a Penguin house that told you about penguins, and then had some real live ones on loan from the zoo. And a giant snowman. Brit wasn’t too sure about that one.

We saw Santa in his workshop, and Brit and Mark got a nice picture with him. Where are the pictures you ask? On a camera we don’t have. I forgot mine in the car, so Mark’s mom took them all. Maybe I’ll get them one day and you can see them on smugmug. There was a nice indoor place to eat, and a couple of different groups played songs and sang. The whole place, with its European village theme, had just a great Christmas feeling about it. It was just what I needed to get into the holiday spirit.

We took the train all around the park, and Brit liked that a little bit. But, since he was in the middle of the seat, he couldn’t see much.

It was starting to snow more and more by this point…wetter snow. And it was cold. My feet were frozen in my boots (some boots huh?) and we were getting soaked. It was time to head back. By now there was a lot of snow…like a couple of inches on the car. Oh yay!

It continued through the night and into the next day. Up in DC they got 18 inches! That’s pretty unheard of, all in one storm. I’m glad we were farther south and east since we got about 3-4 inches total.

The next day was pretty uneventful…if you don’t count the HOURS we spent in the Time Share’s sales office. We agreed to the talk, even though we own, to get the $100 card. Because of some miscommunication that resulted from our last stay in Scottsdale, they thought they didn’t have much to tell us, so at the END of our 90 minutes, I questioned something they had just breezed over and they found out that we hadn’t been told what we were supposed to have been and then it launched a whole other long time with paperwork and such. Man! Then, Mark’s mom had a little question about transferring her week to points and that resulted in another 2 hours.

FINALLY we made it out and by this time it was beyond Brit’s nap time. For dinner we ate at one of those restaurants that has been in a small town for more than 50 years. It was quaint and the food was passable. But, it was all decorated and had a nice homey feel.

Sunday dawned bright and clear. The roads had been paved and we headed to Colonial Williamsburg to check it out in the wintertime. So adorable. I just love it. But, the wind picked up and it was super cold…so back to the car and on our way home we went. I can hardly wait to go back, because as we left I discovered several more houses and streets I didn’t know existed. I thought it was just 1 street…but no. There are lots. Huh.

It was a nice little getaway and I’m glad we went, even if things didn’t go entirely according to plan. And, the best part of all was missing the blizzard of 2009