and functional wrought iron wares. At the Foster-Harris House,

and functional wrought iron wares.

At the Foster-Harris House, local artist Deborah Cass Hoffman will display her miniature oil paintings of the village and the surrounding countryside.

Other shops open for the Colonial Christmas weekend include Rush River Company, an arts and crafts gallery; Kramer and Eiland Woodworking’s showroom of fine furniture; Ye Olde Times Shoppe, offering antiques, collectibles and vintage clothing; and Washington House, featuring lighting fixtures by nationally known lighting restoration specialist Charles Eldred.

On Saturday afternoon, a special community gathering will begin with dancing and caroling at the Town Hall. Then, the venue will move next door to the courthouse lawn, where visitors are invited to contribute an ornament to the town’s Christmas tree. The tree trimming will be led by First Washington’s First Family (Mayor Dean Morehouse, his wife Linda and daughter Sarah) at 4 p.m. Afterwards, there will be a bonfire and impromptu caroling at the Gay Street Inn just a block away.

With a population of 230, Washington isn’t much bigger today than it was when young George drew the streets he named after the families who originally owned the town land. So the Colonial Christmas weekend offers truly one-stop shopping: from Porter Street on the south end of town to Wheeler Street on the north is only four blocks.

Other attractions take just a short drive. On its perch overlooking the town, Sycamore Hill House bedand-breakfast will hold a Saturday open house from 1-4.

Also on Washington’s outskirts a half mile west on Route 211, the non-profit Child Care and Learning Center will hold its third annual Christmas Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Santa will be there, ready to listen to Christmas wishes and pose for pictures with little ones, and the kids can shop for family, friends, and relatives in the Children’s Shopping Room where all the gifts are $1. And parents can choose from among quality crafts by local artisans while the children watch the free afternoon puppet show.

In keeping with the celebration, the Village Cafe in Washington will serve Colonial America’s favorite, Brunswick stew and Sally Lund bread for lunch, and for dinner, roast turkey or country ham with all the trimmings. The Comer Post Restaurant and the School House Restaurant in Flint Hill, six scenic miles distant over the winding Fodderstack Road, will also offer special colonial entrees in addition to their regular menus.

Rappahannock orchardists bring their apple crop to market just in time for the Colonial Christmas weekend. Moore’s Orchard and Lee’s Orchard on the Fodderstack Road and Mountain Green Farm in Harris Hollow just above town have Staymans, Winesaps, and other apple varieties — crisp, juicy, and unwaxed — for stuffing stockings and baking Christmas pies. Apples and cider are also available at Foster’s Packing House in Flint Hill and at the roadside stands and gift shops in Sperryville.

For those who relish a bracing walk in beautiful surroundings, Rappahannock County’s tree farmers have acres of fir, pine and spruce for the chopping. Trees always look smaller in the field than in the living room, so be sure to pack a tape measure writh the hatchet or pruning saw, and if the trunk of the car is too small to hold a tree, bring rope and a sheet to protect the tree from the drying effects of 55-plus mph winds on the drive home.

Parking and admission to the Colonial Christmas weekend is free, and festivities begin at noon and continue into the evening both Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4. For additional information, call Nan or Jim Thomasson, (703) 675-3738 or 675-3207. The Colonial Christmas is sponsored by the Washington Business Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting tourism and business in Washington and Rappahannock County and the perservation of Washington, Va. as a national historic treasure.