By John Nelson
Columnist
When gazing upon tinsel, artificial greenery, and twinkling, multicolored Christmas lights, I sometimes
yearn for the natural decorations of my childhood. In those days, we still made use of some natural
greenery at our house, but the center of traditional Christmas decorations was just up the road at the
home of my paternal grandparents.
Since most gifts for placing under the tree were for me and sister Rosemary, the natural cedar tree went
up at our house, and at Grandmother’s, the focus was on wreaths for the doors and windows and on table
and mantle displays.
I spent much time in those days roaming the woods and fields of the neighborhood, so it was my job to
scout out the necessary materials so that they could be brought home as Christmas approached. I would
have already located some well-shaped cedars so that the family just had to check them out and choose
the best.
Finding the right things for Grandmother took a little more time. When the few holly trees around bore no
berries, I found the bushes with the brightest red berries that could be wired to the holly branches. And
there was the choice of mistletoe, pine cones, ivy and privet to gather.
These items were used in table and mantle displays, and some were fastened onto wire clothes hangers
formed into circular shapes to make wreaths. A few glass ornaments and some bright ribbons added
color to the wreaths.
One of Grandmother’s ideas that we used most every year was to mount a branch from a thorny bush
known as mock orange and to use the sharp thorns to hold marshmallows and colored gum balls. When
draped with a garland of strung cranberries, the creation resembled a colorful little tree.
Candles were used in the windows and on the fireplace mantle, and their flickering light added a charm to
the decorations and reflected off the glass ornaments embedded in the greenery.
Historical accounts suggest that decorative electric lighting might have first been displayed in1882 in the
window of a New York townhouse owned by Edward Johnson, a friend and financial backer of Thomas
Edison. Johnson’s lights were said to have been red, white and blue, adding a patriotic touch to his
Christmas lighting.
The brightness and safety of electric bulbs enabled them to slowly replace the candles and decorative oil
lamps previously displayed on trees and in windows. As the years passed, more colorful and intricate
light displays became the backbone of Christmas decorations.
I was reminded of boyhood Christmases when my time on ships occasionally put me in the
Norfolk/Newport News area during the holiday season. It is a short drive to Colonial Williamsburg, a
heaven for those appreciating natural decorations.

During a visit back in the 80’s, I had the opportunity to talk with a lady who was instrumental in decorating
the historic district for the holidays. I was surprised to learn that there was little documentation describing
how Colonial Americans decorated their homes for Christmas. Using known decorating traditions from
Great Britain and choosing similar materials available in Virginia, Williamsburg volunteers create
decorations that were likely used in Colonial times.
The era represented there was decades before German immigrants introduced the Christmas tree in the
1840’s, and the emphasis on wreaths and mantle and table displays reminded me of our creations at
Grandmother’s house.
Door wreaths are the focal point of Williamsburg decorations, and each house and public building
displays a beautiful wreath mixing traditional greenery with berries and fruit to provide color. Bright
ribbons are not considered appropriate since their use came along years later, and some folks think that
Colonials used fruit for table displays but never outside in a wreath.
Some wreaths feature unique items among the more familiar decorations. On one I saw a cluster of open
cotton bolls with the cotton fibers removed. With the interiors tinted a faint red, they resembled subtle
starbursts.
This year, memories of boyhood Christmases made me determined to adorn the house with natural
decorations. But good intentions never led to action, and I find myself in a house with no decorations.
I’ll do better next year, but this Christmas I guess I’ll just drive around and admire the lights.