Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg: Gentlemen on Horseback, plus Apples & Oranges

Susan reporting:

No snow for a white Christmas this year in Colonial Williamsburg (though there was plenty of the white stuff in 2010!) Milder temperatures are more characteristic for December in Tidewater Virginia. Because many of the outdoor decorations rely on fresh fruit for color, the apples and oranges like the ones shown here, left and right, on houses in the town often need to be "refreshed" over the course of the holiday season. The sun isn't the only culprit, either. What hungry bird could resist shining red apples like these?

Note that the apples are used in more than the door's decorations. They're also tucked into the patterned openings of the brick walls (click on the photos to enlarge for details.) This is always done on this particular house – here it is with last year's yarn-based decorations.

There are plenty of advantages to warmer weather, however. How else would I have seen these two 18th c gentlemen, above, out for a leisurely early-morning ride?

All photographs copyright 2011 Susan Holloway Scott