FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2004

Mount Vernon, VA - Imagine a Christmas when gifts consist of cookies and fruit - not the latest video game. When there are no lights to untangle, ornaments to unpack, or crowded malls to tackle. When the pie isn’t pumpkin – it’s pigeon, partridge, goose, and turkey. Welcome to the “Holidays at Mount Vernon,” December 1, 2004 to January 6, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

An elaborately recreated holiday dinner will be on display in the Large Dining Room with the Washingtons’ famed “Christmas pye” as the centerpiece of the feast. Visitors will learn about the Washingtons’ relationship and see the third floor of the Mansion where Martha Washington resided following her husband’s death. The third floor is open exclusively for the holiday season.

Mrs. Washington’s “Great Cake,” which will be on display in the kitchen, was another holiday favorite. Visitors will receive the original recipe and a version adapted to the 21st century.

Historical items not usually on display, significant acquisitions to the collections at Mount Vernon, and newly conserved pieces will provide an unprecedented opportunity to visualize what Christmas dinner with the first “First Family” looked like. A large elegant dinner party will be displayed on a stunning New York Federal-style inlaid mahogany dining table purchased at auction last year. Chairs made by notable cabinetmaker Thomas Aitken will surround the table.

Modern Christmas trees will be absent at Mount Vernon. The popular decorations were not common until the 19th century. The earliest documented Christmas trees in America appeared in Michigan in 1804 and in Virginia in 1842. Greenery was, however, used to decorate during the season, and boxwood, holly, and pine boughs will be placed throughout the house.

“The Holidays at Mount Vernon” is included in regular estate admission: $11 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-11, and free for children under 6. Mount Vernon is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during December and January. “Mount Vernon by Candlelight” features evening tours of the Mansion, 18th-century characters, caroling around a bonfire, and free hot cider and cookies on November 26, 27, and 28; December 3, 4, and 5; and 10, 11, and 12. Timed ticketing is required, and advance purchase is suggested. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Main Gate or in advance through Ticketmaster at 703-573-SEAT or www.ticketmaster.com. Prices are $15 for adults and $8 for children 11 and under.

Events, programs, and activities are subject to change.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, open to the public since 1860, communicates the character and leadership of Washington to millions of Americans each year through a variety of interpretive programs on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation. Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, founded in 1853, making it America’s oldest national preservation organization. Mount Vernon is located at the southern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, just 16 miles from Washington, D.C. For more information, please call 703-780-2000 or visit online at www.mountvernon.org.

The Estate opens at 9:00 a.m. September through March and at 8:00 a.m. April through August. Closing hours are 4:00 p.m. November through February and 5:00 p.m. all other times of the year. Regular admission rates are: adults, $11; senior citizens, $10.50; and children age 6-11, when accompanied by an adult, $5. Admission fees, restaurant and retail proceeds, together with private donations, support the operation and restoration of Mount Vernon.