Of the all beautiful sites to see this Christmas season, the Grand Illumination [6 December 2009] was by far the most magical. It may have been because I have never been to one, it may be due to my love of historic Colonial Williamsburg, but in any case, it was a night to remember. The economic recession led to company budget cuts and the Christmas Party essentially got nixed from the budget. Several co-workers thought it would be a good idea to plan our own event and we decided on dinner and the Williamsburg Grand Illumination. Colonial Williamsburg always kicks off the Holiday season by following an English tradition of placing white candles in the windows of all the homes and public businesses downtown. The town decorates the square in lights and the most elegant Christmas trees in the entire state. They hold a great festival with controlled bonfires and talented carolers. At 6:00pm, the white candles in the windows are simultaneously lit and the town sets off fireworks in front of the Governor’s Palace.

Despite the biting cold of 29 degree weather, my sweaterdress, boots, leggings, and miles of walking, I had an amazing time. The group of people I went with (including the love of my life) were hilariously entertaining and fun! There were plenty of photo opportunities, though I neglected to bring my camera (I wanted to just enjoy the moment.) I did happen to take some amateur video of the light show from my G1. We had a great standing place where we could see all three set-off points simultaneously. Hit the jump for the videos:
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