CW: A Colonial Nightmare Before Christmas: A Colonial Nightmare Before Christmas 

10.08.26 1 hour 

Who says Christmas has to be merry and bright? In 18th-century Virginia, the holiday season included more than feasting, dancing, and celebration -- death and the supernatural were part of Christmastide, too. 

Join Colonial Williamsburg historian Dr. Kelly M. Brennan for a delightfully dark look at the history of Christmas in colonial Virginia. From beliefs about death and the supernatural to the traditions that made the season anything but ordinary, settle in for an evening of fascinating and slightly spooky history. Because, as it turns out, death never takes a holiday. 

CW: Making Sense of the Declaration: Strategies for Student Inquiry 

10.27.26 1 HOUR 

Join education staff from Colonial Williamsburg and LilyPD for an interactive online program exploring practical, classroom-ready strategies for helping students engage with the Declaration of Independence. Discover ways to break down challenging language, build historical context, and support deeper student inquiry. You’ll leave with flexible strategies you can use with the Declaration and other primary sources across your curriculum. 

CW: Designing the Presidency: Lessons from the Founding Era 

11.19.26 1 HOUR 

How do you create a powerful executive without creating a king? Join Colonial Williamsburg and the Center for Civic Education for an exploration of the debates that shaped the American presidency, and hear from the nation’s first president himself, Colonial Williamsburg Nation Builder George Washington. 

Using primary sources and a classroom-ready civic inquiry lesson, educators will explore the ideas, concerns, and constitutional principles that shaped executive power and gain practical strategies for bringing these debates into the classroom. 

CW: One House, Many Stories 

12.08.26 1 HOUR 

We're excited to invite you and your students to step into the 18th century through an enhanced, virtual 3D Tour of George Wythe's House on Tapestry. The experience was created by CyArk  in partnership with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. This immersive, interactive experience allows students to self-navigate the historic home of George Wythe—a signer of the Declaration of Independence, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and the nation's first law professor. 

Designed to foster active historical inquiry, the tour uses place-based storytelling to explore the founding era from multiple perspectives. Rather than looking only at Wythe, students will gain insight into his daily life, the people he interacted with, and the diverse individuals who lived and worked on the property to support both his household and his success.