This was our 1st Christmas as DMV residents. There was so many amazing things to see and do, and we tried to keep up. What we loved the most is the sense of small community. As we would walk down King Street in Old Town Alexandria, with it’s old historic brick buildings, all the trees were lit up with white lights. The brick homes had old lanterns going. In the town square in front of City Hall stood the Alexandria Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving weekend started our holiday season. We drove to Maryland for the weekend to see my cousin, who was in town for a few days. They took us to a tree lighting ceremony in Leonard town. If you want a small town Gilmore Girls Christmas, Leonard town is where you want to go. Santa lit the tree, there were tractor rides, hot chocolate and wine/cider stands with lots of other festivities and of course Christmas music!

The following weekend we stayed in Virginia to see all of the Holiday activities. The first adventure was the Alexandria boat parade. We walked into old town, planted ourselves on some not so soft rocks along the Potomac River to watch all the boats go by. Each one was lit up and decorated in a different theme and played Christmas music. There was even a World Series Boat with the World Series trophy for the Washington Nationals. Not something we ever thought we would see.

Another Christmas “must” in Virginia is to see Arlington Cemetery. It is a humbling place to see at any time, however, at Christmas, there is a wreath on every headstone. You can’t help but sit and reflect.

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On Christmas Day we went into The District to see the National Christmas Tree. What we learned is that there are several throughout the area, but the one you see on TV isn’t as tall as it looks. It was a beautiful day and we walked around enjoying all the holiday spirit.

When we first arrived here, we went out to visit Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington. It was beautiful. We signed up for a yearly membership so we could go back to walk the grounds whenever we want. So we went out at Christmas time because I wanted to see the Gingerbread House. Of course it was beautiful, and George and Martha Washington are both buried on the property. It’s a peaceful place to just walk and enjoy the beauty.

On several recommendations, we took a day trip up to Annapolis, MD to see the beautiful little town and all it’s history. There is just something amazing about walking around all these towns and the buildings that were built in the 1700 – 1800’s.