Peddler Village outside of New Hope. Photo by Andrew Barth.
It’s not called Christmas City for nothing. Bethlehem was founded by Moravian missionaries in 1741 and named on Christmas Eve. Every Christmas time, Bethlehem offers a show with its “Star of Bethlehem” all over the city, a nativity scene competition, horse-drawn carriage rides and even a “live” Advent calendar where goodies are distributed. A big attraction is the German-style Christmas market, where around 60 vendors sell handmade nutcrackers, Moravian glass and other goods. The historic and delightful inner city is home to dozens of restaurants and retailers, including the Moravian Bookstore, which opened in 1745 and claims to be the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the world. Also downtown – and not just chic, but also fragrant for the season – is the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, voted the best historic hotel in the country this year by USA Today readers. Distance from DC: 195 miles.
Bethlehem. Photo by Hub WiLson Photography / Explore the Lehigh Valley.
Santa may have reindeer, but this Hunt Country town has horses. From 11 a.m. on December 4, about 150 of them took to the streets with riders in hunting clothes and dozens of hunting dogs to make a “hunting report”. The Christmas festival in Middleburg also includes a craft market, hay rides, a “Christmas workshop” for families and an afternoon parade with wagons, antique fire engines, llamas, alpacas and, of course, even more horses. Parking is limited and must be purchased in advance ($ 30-50). With the motto “Dickens Christmas” there are carriage rides and tastefully decorated shop windows throughout the season. Distance from DC: 42 miles.
The city on the east coast pulls the sleighs for its annual celebration, Christmas in St. Michaels – this year from December 10th to 12th. Don’t miss the Saturday parade through the city center with marching bands, vintage cars and celebratory llamas. In the evening, local captains decorate their decks with elaborate Christmas lights for a boat procession around the harbor. Night owls can refuel at two churches, which serve breakfast breakfasts or lunches of Chesapeake specialties like fried oysters. Shoppers can purchase oyster shell wreaths and crab ornaments from the pop-up marketplace or the Christmas shop. Our favorite: House tours with admission tickets ($ 25 per person) that give you a glimpse of the city’s historic 19th-century residences. Distance from DC: 83 miles.
Wilhelmsburg. Photo courtesy Williamsburg, Virginia.
It’s that time of year at Colonial Williamsburg when Santa Claus is strolling in Merchants Square and the voices of Christmas carols are in the air. The historic district’s most famous annual holiday event, Grand Illumination, was canceled due to Covid last year but is back with a bang: the usual one-night event now spans six (the first three Friday and Saturday evenings in December). Depending on the evening, activities include a Christmas log procession; 18th century music and entertainment; and fireworks. Nearby, Busch Gardens theme park is transformed into a glowing “Christmas City” with more than 10 million lights, and Jamestown throws itself into the festivities with an illuminated boat parade (December 4th) and an outdoor Christmas market with nearly 100 vendors (December 4th) ). Distance from DC: 152 miles.
This Victorian beach town doesn’t stop in the off-season – December is bustling with activity. The three blocks, pedestrian-only Washington Street Mall, lined with shops and restaurants, is adorned with decorations. So do many of the great Victorian houses in town – you can spot some of them on a candlelight house tour (December 4th, 11th, and 18th) or “holiday lights” on a tram ride. (If ghost stories are more your thing, opt for the Ghosts of Christmas Past trolley tour.) Also legendary: the Emlen Physick Estate from 1879, which goes all out in Victorian splendor – complete with a model train that was inspired by Dickens Miniature village circled. It is open for day and evening tours. Distance from DC: 189 miles or 143 miles on the Cape May-Lewes ferry.
New Hope, Pennsylvania
Old St. Nick welcomes the passengers of the vintage cars “Santa’s Steam Train Ride” on the New Hope Railroad. Just outside of town, 1 million lights adorn the 65 colonial-style shops of Peddler’s Village. While this Bucks County destination is full of charm this season, perhaps the best reason to visit is for a different kind of holiday tradition: On December 21-25, hundreds of people in Continental Army uniforms can be seen at the nearby Washington Crossing Historic Park reenacting General George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night, 1776. Distance from DC: 180 miles.
Get warmer
It’s not too late to start planning a winter or spring vacation – when you know where to go
If you really want to spend the holidays this year in a warmer place, can we suggest Ireland? Sure, it’s often damp and humid and just a little warmer than DC, but it usually doesn’t snow and it might be the best you can do.
That’s because, warns Alisa Cohen, founder of DC’s Luxe Traveler Club, you will find it difficult to book a room in sought-after beach resorts in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Florida. Anything you can find is unusually expensive, she explains: “The Caribbean and Mexico are currently unaffordable. Five-star hotels cost at least $ 2,000 a night and there is no availability. It would be better to look for an alternative winter break. “
The same applies to Presidents’ Day Week in February and Easter Week in April, which are already limited in availability and have inflated prices.
For those who still want a beach vacation but can live with the temps of the 60s versus the 80s, Cohen recommends Southern California: “A coastal drive from LA to San Diego is a lovely week.”
Don’t need the beach? She suggests Arizona, where the weather warmer than DC means you can hike.
Would you rather drive than fly? Cohen likes resorts in the south like Sea Island, Georgia; the sanctuary on the island of Kiawah, South Carolina; and Palmetto Bluff, also in South Carolina: “It’s milder than here, and there are lots of outdoor activities.”
With the opening of Europe, it has also opened up the possibilities.
“To be honest, we’re taking more and more winter breaks to Europe,” says Cohen. “Paris on New Year’s Eve or London.” And she adds, the aforementioned Emerald Isle: “Ireland is a more affordable travel destination than almost anything in Europe. It’s cozy too. They are all chimneys and country houses. They do a lot for the holidays – it feels very festive. “
This article appears in the December 2021 issue of Washingtonian.
Food editor
Anna Spiegel covers the eating and drinking scene in her homeland DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and the MFA program at Columbia University in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and St. John, Virgin Islands.
