Typically the weekend before Thanksgiving, ALL of the Christmas fun has typically begun in the Washington, DC area! And, as a Christmas enthusiast, I see that there is literally nothing better to do than simply enjoy ALL the holly jolly fun right in my own backyard. Ranging from hosting my first-ever Friendsgiving to visiting a Popup Christmas bar to a Christmas tree lighting and everything in between, I have enjoyed this past pre-Thanksgiving weekend essentially kicking off the holidays here in my city.
Please note that this content is apart of my exploring the Washington, DC area series. For more information on planning your own trip to Washington DC (here), Northern Virginia (here), the Virginia Wine Country (here), Maryland (here), and beyond (here), please use the corresponding links for some recommendations and inspiration.
My best friend and fellow influencer Lindsay of @sunshineandstairclimbs on Instagram came to visit me over the weekend JUST IN TIME for Friendsgiving (!!!). We, then, did a bunch of activities around the city and went out to Bealton, Virginia for a winery day, too. I will note that although not everything is fully decorated and all things Christmas until around December 1, I am SO glad I got to show Lindsay a bit of Christmas in Washington, DC.
Friendsgiving
Friendsgiving was a bittersweet one, as I had to cancel my planned gathering last year due to burnout. SO, I am so so so thankful, grateful, and blessed to be able to not only host an incredible Friendsgiving this year but also have such incredible friendships here in the Washington, DC area. Many of my local friends were able to make it, too, which made it to be such an incredible and blessed gathering. Lindsay also got to meet all of my Washington, DC area friends and everyone there all became friends on social media and in real life (!!!!). One of the biggest gifts in my book is seeing my friends become friends with my other friends. I LOVE being a bridge to new and incredible friendships! Rosie my dog also joined in on the Friendsgiving fun, too, and brought us all SO MUCH JOY!
Downtown Holiday Market (Centered at 8th and F Streets NW, Washington DC)
Every year, Washington, DC’s Downtown Holiday Market brings Christmas cheer to the city pretty much daily now until December 23 from 12-8pm. Located just in front of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Downtown Holiday Market brings local Washington, DC area businesses to the forefront to showcase their goods and allow locals and visitors alike to support them. While I find the Downtown Holiday Market to be a bit overpriced (depending on the merchandise) at times, I do LOVE supporting 1-2 local small businesses each year and learning about many others in my city. Lindsay and I LOVED taking photos in front of the fun props such at candy canes and reindeer and stars for folks to pose in front of and enjoying *none other than* the holiday vibes at the Downtown Holiday Market. Live music is there, too! We were there right as the sun had set, which made for such a magical experience!
Urban Roast (916 G Street NW, Suite C-2, Washington DC)
Known as Washington, DC’s premier pop-up bar, Urban Roast has been ALLL decked out for Christmas since the beginning of November! I have LOVED dining at Urban Roast for the vibes and drinks but less for the food (which to be honest is subpar). However, the staff there are super kind and make it worthwhile to come back time and time again. The Christmas decorations at Urban Roast was probably my favorite that they’ve done, too! Being transparent, I reacted adversely to something in the environment at Urban Roast which will make me sit out going back there any time soon. BUT, I am ALL about enjoying the vibes at this incredible pop-up bar while you can!
Bull Run Festival of Lights (7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville, VA)
I treated Papa and I to tickets at the Bull Run Festival of Lights and it was AMAZING. Every holiday season, the Bull Run Festival of Lights takes over Centreville’s Bull Run Regional Park with SO MUCH Christmas cheer. When I was a kid, my family and I used to pack the family van and all go and enjoy the lights at Bull Run, so it felt magical to be back! This time around, Papa and I ended up going on a rainy Tuesday night and took Rosie with us. The cutest thing is that Rosie was looking out the window at the lights, too! Needless to say, we all enjoyed ourselves and had a holly jolly time!!
Morais Vineyards & Winery (11409 Marsh Road, Bealton, VA)
My fellow best friend Stephanie posted about the Fall Festival that Morais Vineyards & Winery was having when Lindsay was coming to visit, SO, in typical Katie fashion, I made arrangements for us ALL to go! Morais Vineyards & Winery is located about an hour away from me and Stephanie both in Bealton, Virginia and about 90 minutes South of Washington, DC. Stephanie and I had checked out Morais Vineyards & Winery while at the Mount Vernon Wine Festival back in October (here) and knew we wanted to check out the gorgeous vineyard in-person at some point. Morais Vineyards & Winery also serves as a wedding venue playing homage to Portuguese architecture and wine with some tastes of its home in the Virginia Wine Country, too. It is a STUNNING place! We all enjoyed some wine and checking out the food trucks and small business booths at the Fall Festival.
Old Ebbitt Grill (675 15th Street NW, Washington DC)
Old Ebbitt Grill is probably one of my VERY favorite restaurants. I write more about this incredible restaurant and its historical significance in Washington, DC and the United States as a whole here. And, since the notable Nutcrackers appear outside the doors of the magical Old Ebbitt Grill EVERY holiday season, Lindsay and I *just knew* that it would be a must-go for us! While I go into much more details on Old Ebbitt Grill in my previously linked post, this well-known restaurant is a unique one in that it brings together tourists and locals, alike, and has a strong international presence with both its clientele and staff making it such a unique place to be!
Old Town Alexandria Christmas Tree Lighting (520 King Street, Alexandria, VA)
The Christmas tree lighting in Old Town Alexandria took place on Saturday November 17 with special guests such as Santa and his elves. The Christmas tree is located right in front of the gorgeously historic Alexandria Courthouse in the heart of Old Town Alexandria’s King Street. Lindsay and I shopped at local shops on King Street before admiring the gorgeously lit tree. I spend A LOT of time in Old Town Alexandria, as it is one of my happy happy happy places, so to see the Christmas tree there the night it was lit brought me SO MUCH JOY!
The Willard Intercontinental Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC)
While not decked out for Christmas *just yet* (or at least when we went), the Willard Intercontinental Hotel is ALWAYS such a magical place to be. I took Lindsay here late on a Sunday night right after our dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill, as it is a few blocks away. This notable and iconic Washington, DC hotel has an iconic holiday tea at their in-house Peacock Alley and nightly carolers (something I want to check out this year!). More details on the holiday fun here. It was a such and brief visit for us both before the halls are decked out!
I have already found SO MUCH joy and things to be thankful for this holiday season. I have SO MUCH holiday fun to look forward to this season, and I hope you do too.
XOXO – Katie <3
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