Each holiday season, Richmond dazzles with twinkling lights, towering Christmas trees, festive cocktails and pop-up ice rinks. But have you ever wondered how it all comes together? From Clark Griswold-level displays to intimate neighborhood installations, the transformation starts months before the first ornament goes up. We spoke with the volunteers, project managers, contractors and staff behind the scenes to uncover the secrets of the season.
Holidays in Bloom
Well before Halloween, several volunteers are hunkered down in a basement at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. They’re covered in glitter and glue, wrapped in string lights, and surrounded by crates of supplies spread out over a dozen folding tables.
“I’m working on a jellyfish over here,” says Wayne Saunders, hoisting a clear umbrella with a handful of dangling wire lights covered in mesh that represent tentacles. When he turns on the lights, the tentacles glisten and twinkle; when they’re hung outside, they’ll sway like they’re underwater. The jellyfish, which took Saunders about four hours to make, will be placed next to another creation of his — a mermaid.
GardenFest of Lights volunteer Wayne Saunders puts the finishing touches on his jellyfish light sculpture. (Photo by Jay Paul)
The volunteers work each year to make the Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights special for both longtime fans and first-time visitors to the walk-through spectacle, which features twinkle lights, glowing sculptures, themed trees, model trains and more. Lewis Ginter has taken the top spot in the USA Today “Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights” contest for the past two years. GardenFest of Lights is marking its 30th year by exploring the four traditional elements — fire, earth, air and water — as well as a fifth: love.
“We work one day a week at the beginning of the season,” says Saunders, who’s in his ninth year of volunteering at the garden. His wife and adult daughter also volunteer. “Then, when it gets to the end of the season and we need to get caught up, we’ll work two days a week.”
Lewis Ginter’s Operations Manager Tim Johnson and his team begin planning even earlier. “We start in December or January of the year before,” Johnson says. “We come up with a theme, and then we allocate our resources.” He notes that they “try to be very nondenominational,” always embracing nature as the overarching theme. Volunteers and members of the operations team start installing lights on the 80-acre grounds as early as April.
This year, Johnson says, his team divided the garden into five sections and matched the colors of the lights to the elements. They’re also striving to use lights in new ways. “One of the things that I have been trying to push is getting away from just classic string lights wrapped around trees or put on the ground,” he says. “I’m trying to incorporate more different types of lighting, something that you wouldn’t see every day.”
More than 500 volunteers work at the garden year-round, but the numbers increase during the holiday season. Duties include creating the light displays, laying out tracks in the train room and minding fires during the event.
Susan Murphy, a volunteer for 23 years, created the two giant paintings that sit on either side of the fireplace in the Reading Room of Lewis Ginter’s library, both recently repurposed to reflect The Elements theme. At the moment, though, Murphy’s excited to describe how she and other volunteers created a unique tree.
“This is Harry Lauder’s walking stick,” she says, naming the shrub that provided a twisting and gnarled grouping of curlicue branches. “We found an old Christmas tree stand broken off and then stuck them all in.” The tree is adorned with patches of moss, tiny owl decorations and wind chimes. “Because [of] the five elements, there’ll be a small fan blowing the leaves and the wind chimes, so that’s air,” explains Murphy.
“I always admire the volunteers’ dedication,” says Michelle Isreal, director of exhibitions. “They’re here throughout the year, and they are very creative. I personally love and really appreciate the process of the dried botanicals, because it is preserving the natural world and then creating it into a display.”
Like Murphy, many of the volunteers have devoted decades to Lewis Ginter. “It’ll be 21 years in April,” says William “Buzz” Sawyer, who, along with his wife, Barbara, began volunteering to help improve the children’s garden but has since branched out. “We’ve been involved in just about everything,” he says. Sawyer has logged about 4,000 hours at the garden, while Barbara has clocked 4,600 hours. “There’s no way I’m going to catch up to her,” he says.
Most Saturday nights during the holiday season, you’ll find Sawyer tending the fire pit in the Cochrane Rose Garden. “I’ve always loved the idea of Saturday night,” he says. “Because Saturday night is bedlam. I personally enjoy it. It may be crazy, but it’s a lot of fun. And it goes by so fast.”
Lewis Ginter’s Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights runs through Jan. 4. Prices vary; advance tickets are required and are available online only at lewisginter.org.
Ice Rink Events installs the annual pop-up skating rink at Stony Point Fashion Park. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Winter Wonderland
It’s hard to say what’s more popular at Stony Point Fashion Park during the holidays — the lighting of the enormous Christmas tree or the seasonal unveiling of its ice skating rink.
For Kelby Geffers, it has to be the rink. Geffers is the regional project director behind almost 100 ice skating and roller rinks for Ice Rink Events, which has been installing and maintaining rinks for more than 20 years. “I have 94 venues across the entire United States and Mexico,” Geffers says; they include both the Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center ice rinks in New York City.
At 42 feet by 86 feet, the Stony Point ice rink is fairly large. It takes about five people and roughly a week to install the rink from scratch, Geffers says. “The most important thing is putting down the ice,” he explains. “When the temperatures are cool at night, usually from about when the sun sets to the sunrise, we have somebody out there pouring water on the rink to build up that ice to be skated on.” A 200-ton refrigeration unit hidden underneath keeps the ice frozen.
Stony Point installed its first pop-up rink in 2016, and Geffers says they’ve seen roughly 60,000 skaters, or about 7,000 each year, since then. This year’s skating season runs from Nov. 22 to Jan. 19. “They have a bunch of families that come back every year, and they make it a tradition,” Geffers says. “That’s the reason we got into the business — holiday traditions that they can share not only with themselves but, as they grow older, with their kids and their grandkids.”
As for the most popular attraction at Stony Point over the holidays, James Zogran would vote for the tree. He’s the head of operations for Dominion Lightworks, which is responsible for the mall’s tree and lighting installation. Since 2017, he and his brother Sam, who owns the company, have done nothing but install holiday lights around the Richmond region, which he says is a year-round job.
“The start of our season, at least on my end, is usually the end of July,” Zogran says. “I’ll send out our first emails and start contacting customers planning for that upcoming season, and then we’ll start installing holiday lighting for Christmas typically in early September.”
The Stony Point transformation, which happened in mid-October, “took nine of our guys about eight hours to install fully,” he adds.
“Seeing the city come together and come alive for the holiday season is an amazing experience.”
—Tamara Jenkins, city of Richmond public information manager
In addition to the mall, Dominion Lightworks installs lights on everything from buildings to trees and hospitals to churches. You may have seen their handiwork: “We do Innsbrook, that whole entrance median. We do the First Baptist Church display down in the South Side and Woodlake United Methodist Church in Chesterfield.
We do St. Mary’s Hospital,” Zogran says. The company also lights dozens of entrances to subdivisions, including Fox Creek in Chesterfield County.
The best part for Zogran and his team? “It is really fun to be able to drive around to see it,” he says. “Especially for me, seeing it from the beginning phases, seeing what it looks like on a virtual mock-up and then come to life, is pretty cool.”
All of the holiday displays and events at Stony Point are overseen by Alexis Cheeseman Riley, the marketing manager. She says setting up the holiday experience requires an early start. “The prep is in full swing during the summer months leading up to the season,” she says. “But you can never really be too early to prep for the holidays. It’s a full-time commitment — reaching out to vendors, potential sponsors, planning the tree setup, the ice rink prep, the signage, the website transformation, all that good stuff.”
Cheeseman Riley says typically about 2,500 people attend the tree lighting; overall, the mall sees up to 30,000 visitors during the holidays. “Seeing the joy on everyone’s faces and the fact that all of our hard work is paying off and people are getting to enjoy the holiday season [is] very well worth it,” she says.
For information on ice skating and other holiday events at Stony Point Fashion Park, visit shopstonypoint.com.
Barker Designs employees Ben Burke, Brandon Edwards and Bekah Burke build the centerpiece Christmas tree at Short Pump Town Center. It takes two days to assemble the 50-foot-tall tree. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Mall Merriment
Short Pump Town Center may dazzle with over-the-top decorations, lighten shoppers’ moods with music, and lure families with Santa and a tree-lighting ceremony, but beneath it all, the holiday season is all about community, says Marketing Manager Courtney Gunia.
“It’s our 10th year working with the Salvation Army, where we host one of their Angel Trees,” she says. The local fire department has escorted Santa in, and the police bagpipe team has performed. “It’s really community-focused,” she says, adding, “This will be our 11th annual Grand Illumination event, so we have a lot to live up to. It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort.”
The mall team starts brainstorming ideas and booking vendors and entertainment in June, Gunia says, and the outdoor mall’s trademark oversized decorations — including a 50-foot-tall Christmas tree — are installed in November. The tree is placed to “provide the illusion that it is growing up through our main bridge,” Gunia explains. “[It] allows our patrons to literally walk through the tree on the upper level.” The completed tree holds 559 decorative branches and approximately 100,000 LED lights, she adds.
The tree is flanked by two 22-foot deer, and the mall’s multiple entrances are bedecked with a 12-foot wreath, two 10-foot wreaths and two 6-foot wreaths. In all, Gunia says, it takes teams more than 18 hours to install the decor in the main plaza and another 30 hours to complete the remaining holiday looks. One of her personal highlights is giving about 3,500 lighted tree wands to kids.
“I’ve lived in Richmond for six years now. It’s something that my daughters have been going to every year even before I worked at the shopping center,” Gunia says of the mall’s Grand Illumination. “It’s something that they look forward to, and they know that when they see Santa at the big tree lighting, that means it’s time to go get your pictures taken.”
To schedule photos with Santa or learn about holiday events at Short Pump Town center, visit shortpumptowncenter.com.
Local artist Kelly McCants assists with Quirk Hotel’s holiday decor. (Photo courtesy Quirk Richmond)
Cheer Checks In
At Quirk Hotel on West Broad Street downtown, the seasonal transformation is “definitely a team effort,” says Tracy Uphold, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. “There’s not really one part of the hotel that someone doesn’t play a part in. The gallery gets involved, the kitchen gets involved, maintenance gets involved. Our engineering team is the one who’s putting up the trees and doing all that.”
Co-owner Katie Ukrop even lends a hand, helping to design the theme and choose the artists whose work is featured throughout the hotel. “Katie Ukrop plays a big part in it, because it’s her vision,” Uphold says. “Naturally we reuse some things, but a lot of times the tree is going to look entirely different from one year to the next.”
About that tree: The distinctive 15-footer has pride of place in the lobby’s corner window. “It’s actually a white tree, but by the time we put all the pink ornaments on it, it looks pink. We use a lot of different pale pink, white, silver and gold balls,” Uphold explains, as well as a collection of ornaments designed and made for the tree by the Baltimore-based artist and illustrator Elizabeth Graeber.
To get its holiday look right, Quirk taps local artist Kelly McCants, who’s known for creating spectacular window displays and holiday-inspired art installations. “She’s going to paint the windows,” Uphold says, adding, “She actually helps us install the ornament display that hangs from right in front of the two windows; they create this beautiful atmosphere.”
Bartender Johanna Fallin’s specialty is crafting cocktails so good they seem like works of art. In 2024, she devised four unique espresso martinis for The Lobby Bar’s “Sugar Plum Tini” pop-up, and she’s reprising the idea with fresh flavors most weekends this month (see Instagram for the schedule). “Our goal is to have the cafe area look like a little gingerbread cottage,” Fallin says. “I’ve been thinking about a kind of ‘Christmas in paradise,’ where it’ll be coconut cream and nutmeg, and I’ll probably do a peppermint bark martini with peppermint rum.”
Fallin says the holidays are fun at Quirk because it’s such a festive time and people are happy. “It gets so crazy busy there and, you know, that’s what makes it fun,” she says. “Sometimes you’ll look out and you can’t even see the dining room because it’s so full of people standing around the bar. It’s like that time of the year where everyone is just sweet and kind, and they’re with their family. We look forward to it every year.”
For more on Quirk Hotel’s holiday offerings, visit quirkhotels.com.
As part of last year’s “A Heavenly Holiday” theme, the Executive Mansion featured a tree of angels crafted using fabric remnants from the home’s extensive 1988 renovation, as well as lavish holiday floral displays. (Photo courtesy Rosa Woodring, director of mansion operations, Virginia Executive Mansion)
Home for the Holidays
Completed in 1813, Richmond’s Executive Mansion at Capitol Square is the oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the country. It’s also home to one of the longest-running seasonal displays: Virginia recognized Christmas as a legal holiday in 1849, and the mansion began decorating forthwith.
“Historically, holiday decorations go up the first week of December, in time for the Capitol Square Christmas Tree Lighting and Executive Mansion Open House,” says Georgia Esposito, mansion projects director. This year’s tree lighting will take place Wednesday, Dec. 3, and the mansion is open for free tours throughout the month.
Carpenters from the Department of General Services set up the trees and hang garlands, and DGS electricians add the lights, Esposito says. “When it comes to putting ornaments on the trees, tying off final ribbons and making the mansion sparkle, we have all hands on deck,” she adds.
The first lady guides the theme and sets the tone for the decorations, working closely with the Executive Mansion team to bring the vision to life. “Each year, we blend historic references with modern twists to reflect the raw beauty of our commonwealth and its people,” first lady Suzanne S. Youngkin says via email. “From the farmers who provide the trees, wreaths, and garlands, to the carpenters and electricians who bring the decor to life, to the mansion staff and volunteers who add the flourishes and warmth, the Executive Mansion truly shines during the holidays.”
This year’s theme is “America: Made in Virginia,” a reference to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. “We would be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to recognize our commonwealth’s remarkable role in revolutionary times,” Esposito notes. The theme is also reflected in the current Art Experience at the Executive Mansion exhibition, a collaboration with the Virginia 250 Commission, and in the bunting that will complement the usual greenery on the mansion’s exterior.
The staff begins removing the decorations in January, Esposito says, a process that’s “finished in time to welcome Virginia’s General Assembly members when session commences.”
For the Executive Mansion’s holiday hours and tour guidelines, see executivemansion.virginia.gov.
RVA Illuminates
Originally known as the Grand Illumination and hosted for decades by the James Center, Richmond’s downtown light-up has been coordinated by the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities since 2019. Now at Kanawha Plaza at Eighth and Canal streets, RVA Illuminates includes live music, food trucks and the big city glow-up.
“We already have our partners in place, so it’s an easier lift at this point,” says Tamara Jenkins, public information manager for the city. “It’s just like organizing any other event, truthfully. It’s always going to be the first Friday in December. We know that lights go on at 6 o’clock.”
Like the other holiday magic-makers across the region, Jenkins and her team start their work early. “We start planning in June of who potential headliners can be, work with our contractor to get them back on board to put up the tree and to do the lights around Kanawha Plaza,” Jenkins says. “We work with our partners to make sure all the buildings that are surrounding Kanawha Plaza are notified of the date and time and to make sure that they will be able to flip their lights on to celebrate the holiday season with the rest of the city.”
Jenkins coordinates the effort with the police and fire departments, the Greater Richmond Transit Company and the Department of Public Works, which installs holiday lights and decorations across the city. Her own team puts up the lights at the 17th Street Market. Holiday decorations start going up about a week before Thanksgiving and must be finished before RVA Illuminates.
The tricky part, according to Jenkins, is making sure the countdown runs smoothly. To coordinate the lights, everyone tunes in to radios provided by their partners at Summit Media. “The countdown is on one of their stations,” Jenkins explains. “You have the building folks that are listening to the radio. We also have [TV station] WRIC and radio station K95. We take over their broadcast for about an hour and a half.
“Seeing the city come together and come alive for the holiday season is an amazing experience for both native Richmonders and visitors alike. The department looks forward to welcoming everyone to celebrate together.”
This year’s RVA Illuminates performances were canceled due to inclement weather.
Ringing in the Season
A sampling of special places around the region
Photo courtesy Conex
Holidays on Ice
Conex (short for “container express”), an indoor-outdoor venue near Jackson Ward, opened last month decked out as a Christmas village. The space includes a restaurant, bar, food truck park and lounge areas in an industrial setting. “We’re creating a winter wonderland similar to Bryant Park in New York,” says co-owner Brandon Garner. “We want to replicate that vibe and get everyone in the Christmas spirit with ice skating, themed cocktails, string lights and Christmas trees.” Guests can rent ice skates, enjoy live music, visit Santa and admire vibrant murals painted by local artists including Nils, Emily Herr and Silly Genius. Vendors will serve food, hot chocolate and themed cocktails. conexrva.com
Photo by Kath Parker
Creativity on Display
Maynee Cayton opened Bygones Vintage Clothing in Carytown in 1979 when she was 28 years old. “It was like stepping onto a moving train,” she says with a laugh. Today, she still puts the same energy into the shop she did back then. An annual highlight is the spectacular window display that goes up after Halloween and dazzles through January. “I don’t think we’ve ever repeated ourselves,” Cayton says. “It’s such a fun creative outlet.” Her team of three starts brainstorming months in advance, sharing a Pinterest board and finding inspiration in their eclectic collection of clothes, mannequins, animals and props. bygonesvintage.com
Photo courtesy Downtown Ashland Association
Every holiday season, downtown Ashland dazzles with a mile-long light display. “Our downtown buildings along the [train] tracks are outlined in thousands of twinkling golden lights that make Main Street look like a living holiday card,” says Lou Keeton, director of operations for the Downtown Ashland Association. Thanks to support from Dominion Energy Innovation Center and Wells Tree Service, Keeton says, they’re able to install the lights in about a week. Ashland’s Grand Illumination takes place Nov. 22 and holiday events, including a parade, caroling, a Christmas market and the Ashland Santa Train, run through Jan. 1. ashlandvirginia.com
Photo courtesy Helen’s
Auld Lang Syne
Celebrate times long past at Helen’s, which opened in 1927. The beloved Fan bar and restaurant will get a holiday makeover on Dec. 1, with strands of lights, loads of wrapping paper, light-up Santas and drink specials like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” an espresso martini adorned with snowflakes and glitter. “We are wall-to-wall the most decorated restaurant in town — a tradition that dates back to the original owners, the Donati family,” says general manager Claire Tuite. Menu highlights include cold weather comfort foods like sage gnocchi, short ribs and butternut squash ravioli. Helen’s will open early for brunch on weekends in December, and the bar will close at 2 a.m. helensrva.com
Photo by Charles Williams courtesy Elegba Folklore Society
Culture and Community
Inspired by ancient African harvest traditions, Kwanzaa means “first fruits” in Swahili. The holiday was created during the Civil Rights Movement to celebrate African culture. The Capital City Kwanzaa Festival, one of Virginia’s largest, will take place Dec. 27 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. “We’ll feature performances and speakers on the Kuumba Stage, cultural displays in the Ujamaa Market, children’s activities, and African food in the Karamu Kitchen,” says Janine Bell, president and artistic director of the Elegba Folklore Society, which hosts the event. The festival will open with the ceremonial lighting of the Mishumaa Saba, seven candles representing the principles of unity, self-determination, creativity, purpose, faith, cooperative economics, and collective work and responsibility. efsinc.org
Photo courtesy Discover Richmond Tours
Light It Up
Last year, Travel and Leisure named Richmond the state’s top destination for Christmas light displays — and, specifically, the city’s over-the-top tacky lights. While many Richmonders DIY their annual tacky light tour, you can also leave the driving to the experts and focus on the fun. “We recently started offering public tours for smaller groups who don’t need an entire bus to themselves,” says Brian Beard, owner of Discover Richmond Tours. “We decorate a little differently every year and create a holiday playlist to make things festive.” Guests of Discover Richmond’s private tours can choose their own route, including stops at local bars and restaurants. Beard typically steers groups to the West End, but always recommends Hadley’s Winterland in Mechanicsville. Tours are available through Dec. 30. discoverrichmondtours.com
Photo courtesy Weinstein Jewish Community Center
Festival of Lights
During the reclamation and purification of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem nearly 2,200 years ago, a menorah burned for eight days using just one day’s supply of oil. Modern Jews celebrate that miracle with food, games and a candle ceremony; Hanukkah is Dec. 14-22. “This year, we’re including more facets of our community center and introducing a new event to show off holiday spirit,” says Pinina Morgan, the Jewish life and Israel engagement manager at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center. Preschoolers will light the menorah on Dec. 15, followed by the board of directors on Dec. 16. The public is invited for donut decorating on Dec. 17 and a new Latkes & Pajamas night on Dec. 18. weinsteinjcc.org
Photo courtesy Bar West
The West Pole
For the second year, Bar West at Libbie and Grove avenues is transforming into a wonderland called The West Pole, complete with over-the-top decor and food and drink specials. “The Monday before Thanksgiving, our sign comes down and everything completely changes,” says owner Rob Long. “Every person that works here spends the whole day decorating. It’s all hands on deck.” The restaurant’s packed calendar of holiday events runs through Jan. 12 and includes pet nights, trivia and happy hours with Santa — who pulls up in a red Corvette. The after-hours Naughty Santa Night, featuring a male dancer, is back by popular demand, but leave the children nestled all snug in their beds. barwest804.com
