The towering magnolia by Monroe Hall donated boughs for the event, as did the berry-studded forest of hollies behind Lee Hall. Each December for 25 years, Mary Washington’s verdant campus has been the muse for “Deck the Halls,” a holiday decorating workshop presented by Fredericksburg floral designer Jan Williams. In recent years, the standing-room-only workshop has benefited The James Monroe Museum, which is administered for the Commonwealth of Virginia by UMW.
Last December, to celebrate the silver anniversary of the popular event, Williams worked her magic in the basement of Monroe Hall among buckets of rosemary, mountains of ribbon and jumbles of pine branches. As she dispensed decorating tips, she deftly wove together greenery, berries, flowers and fruit until an unruly collection of brush emerged as an elegant centerpiece. The crowded auditorium thundered with applause.
Williams is well-known in Fredericksburg as decorator of not only the home of the President of the University, but also the home of the President of the United States; for years she made holiday trimmings for The White House. Williams, the owner of Jan Williams Florals in Fredericksburg, has appeared in Southern Living magazine, where she and the “Deck the Halls” workshop were featured.
The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, open since 1927, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. For information on the “Deck the Halls” workshop or on the museum, call 540/654-1043.
– Neva S. Trenis