HOLIDAYS AT THE MANSION

A VIRGINIA HARVEST HOLIDAY

The historic home of Virginia’s Governors and their families since 1813, the Executive Mansion of Virginia, sparkles for the holidays. This year’s theme of a Virginia Harvest Holiday visually encompasses our agrarian rural roots. This holiday season the Executive Mansion will highlight Virginia’s natural bounty from apples, grapes, tobacco, corn, and native botanicals found throughout the Commonwealth, to the Tidewater region’s oysters and peanuts.

HOLIDAY EVENTS AND TOURS

Please join us this December for docent-led tours highlighting the many decorated holiday trees, festive floral arrangements and history of this 220 year-old stately home.

Holiday Tours and Music at the Mansion

Tours are open to visitors without prior reservations and will be offered from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the dates below. Special music performances will be held each day from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Friday, December 2nd | Wednesday, December 7th | Friday, December 9th | Tuesday, December 13th | Friday, December 16th

December 1, 2022

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Capitol Square and Executive Mansion Open House

For decades, Virginia's first family has ceremoniously lit the Capitol portico Christmas tree to kick off the holiday season. This year's entertainment was provided by the choir from Eastern View High School in Culpepper, VA. Due to the construction at the Capitol, this year's tree lighting was held directly in front of the women's monument in Capitol Square. After the ceremony, the Governor and First Lady hosted the public at the Executive Mansion for an open house.

CHRISTMAS TREES

This holiday season, Governor Youngkin and the First Lady have chosen to honor several important organizations through decorated Christmas trees in the Ladies’ Parlor and Old Governor’s Office. Read below to learn more about these impactful groups.

A Harvest Holiday Tree

Ballroom

There is no place like Virginia’s home for the holidays! Donated by the Clouse Family Farm, the Executive Mansion’s largest Christmas tree is decorated to celebrate the Commonwealth’s agrarian heritage with the theme of a Virginia Harvest Holiday. Decorating the tree are clusters of lichen, dried quince, wheat stalks and cranberries, accompanied by arrangements of Virginia peanuts meant to resemble snowflakes. A celebration of Virginia’s natural beauty would not be complete without Capitol Square's own natural hydrangea, added to the tree after being dried.

Morgan’s Message

Ladies’ Parlor

Morgan’s Message elevates the story of Morgan Rodgers, a beloved daughter, sister, friend and teammate on Duke University’s Women’s Lacrosse Team whose life was cut short by suicide at the age of 22. Their mission is to provide a platform where others feel safe to share their own stories, be a catalyst for change within our mental healthcare systems and foster a community for which tomorrow always exists. Morgan’s Message is clear: as an athlete, there is no shame in seeking physical healthcare -- the same should be true for mental healthcare. To learn more about Morgan, her story, and how you can be a part of Morgan’s Message, click here.

TAPS and Wreaths across America

Old Governor’s Office

TAPS, standing for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, is a national nonprofit organization providing support for all those grieving the death of a military veteran loved one. TAPS offers around the clock comfort and hope through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources at zero cost to surviving families and loved ones. Visit TAPS website for resources, programs and to learn how you can support the organization.

Each December on National Wreaths across America Day, the organization coordinates remembrance wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and over 3,000 additional locations in the United States, at sea and abroad. The holiday season presents a difficult time for many families, especially for those who have lost a loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. In addition to Veterans Day in the fall and Memorial Day in the spring, Wreaths across America presents us an opportunity to express our appreciation for our service members during the holiday season. To find a wreath laying ceremony near you, click here.

The Eleventh Annual Virginia State Capitol Christmas Ornament

Governor Youngkin and the First Lady are honored to announce that this year’s Virginia State Capitol Christmas Ornament has been dedicated to the Executive Mansion. If you are interested in purchasing this year’s ornament, please visit the Virginia State Capitol website or pick up an order form at the Executive Mansion during our annual open house or during a holiday tour.

‘Tis the Season, then and now

It’s the most wonderful time of year at the Executive Mansion, and it has been for over two centuries! In 1849, Virginia became the fifth state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday, beginning the tradition of decking the interior halls and exterior walls of Virginia’s home. Click through the galleries below to see how the Mansion’s holiday scene has changed over the years.

A GINGERBREAD FARMHOUSE

Executive Mansion Pastry Chef Scott Henderlite started crafting this year’s gingerbread house at the beginning of November. “My favorite thing about making this year’s house was adding the lights. I love the action and life it adds to the scene,” says Henderlite. Each feature of the farm house, other than the lights and fauna, is as edible as it is miraculous; from the apple trees, tobacco plants, grape vines and bee hive to the wafer roof and chocolate rocks lining the pathway to the house.