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A Monroe Christmas

This exhibit, which was first displayed from November through January of 2005/2006, and again in 2006/2007, transformed the Rare Book Room into a festive display of an early American Christmas as James Monroe and his fellow Virginians might have enjoyed it. The exhibit was decorated in eighteenth and nineteenth century regalia such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, and mountain laurel,A Monroe Christmas scene with additional information on Virginian customs such as the “kissing ball” which was made out of mistletoe. A buffet with an attached panel described and showcased common Christmas dishes such as candied fruits, sweetmeats, oysters, and plum pudding. The exhibit also featured information on Christmas customs that took place in Virginia, such as the shooting off of guns and firecrackers, the types of presents exchanged between parents and their children, and the role that slavery had in the Christmas festivities and how slaves might have experienced them.