Christmas Week at Lake Anna: A Quiet Family Getaway

Why Christmas week at the lake works

Christmas week at Lake Anna suits a family that wants time together more than a schedule. In summer the lake is about boats and busy weekends. In late December it is still, the roads are quiet, and the only plan most days is a walk, a meal and a game.

That is the point for many families. Grandparents get a real week with the grandchildren, cousins who only see each other once a year have room to spread out, and nobody spends the holiday driving between relatives' houses. One big house holds the tree, the gifts and the dinner table.

It does not suit every group. If your family wants a different outing every day, holiday shows and shopping, a city base will serve you better. Lake Anna at Christmas is for slowing down.

Fireplaces, short days and long evenings

The days are short in Christmas week, so the evening is the main event. Plan for darkness well before dinner and build the day backward from it.

A good rhythm for a family week:

• Morning: slow breakfast, gifts or a craft with the kids, a walk down to the water while it is light.
• Midday: the one outing of the day, if there is one: the state park, a drive to town, a winery for the adults.
• Late afternoon: back before dark, fire lit, someone starts dinner.
• Evening: a long meal, then a movie, a game tournament or a puzzle that lasts all week.

The Lake Anna House is built for this. It has six bedrooms and room for up to 16 guests, an indoor fireplace, a movie lounge, a game room with pool, ping pong and foosball, a screened porch, an inflatable hot tub on the deck and lake access. A fully equipped kitchen, a dining room and a breakfast nook make a big holiday dinner manageable.

Holiday events within a drive

Most of the area's community holiday events happen in the first weekend of December this year, so a family that arrives early, or makes a separate trip, gets the most from them.

Spotsylvania's afternoon parade and Fredericksburg's evening parade fall on the same Saturday, so a group could see one, eat, and catch the other. For Fredericksburg, Visit Fredericksburg says that once you park downtown you cannot move your car until after the parade, and it encourages carpooling, so take as few cars as possible.

During Christmas week itself, GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is the main holiday outing within a drive. The garden sells tickets by arrival window, says popular dates sell out, and lists all tickets as non-refundable, with optional insurance that lets you move your tickets once. Buy the whole group's tickets in one order. Prices vary by date, so check the current price on their site.

Event dates come from each official page as of this writing. Plans can change, so check the official site for this year's dates before you go, and see what's on at Lake Anna for the full calendar.

Stocking up before the holiday

The single most useful thing you can do for a Christmas week at the lake is shop before you arrive. Stores near the lake are fewer and farther apart than in town, and many shops and restaurants close or cut their hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Plan it like this:

1. Plan every dinner before you shop. Write the menu for each night, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and who is cooking.
2. Do one big shop on the way in. Stop at a large supermarket in a town on your route, not near the lake. Split the list between two cars.
3. Bring the special items from home. The ham, the family recipe ingredients, the specific brand of eggnog: assume a small store will not have them.
4. Stock the extras. Firewood if you need more than the house provides (ask before you arrive), batteries for new toys, tape, wrapping paper, foil and storage containers for leftovers.
5. Keep a buffer. Buy a little more than you need. A winter storm or a closed store on December 26 is not the time to run out of coffee.

Our group meal plan for a vacation rental has a template for splitting the cooking across a week, and our guide to Christmas and New Year in a vacation rental covers gifts, sleeping arrangements and house rules for a holiday stay.

Getting outside in Christmas week

Even a quiet week needs fresh air, and a clear winter morning at the lake is worth getting up for.

Lake Anna State Park is open daily from dawn to dusk all year. Virginia State Parks lists 11 trails totaling more than 15 miles, mostly rated easy, and a daily parking fee always applies. The visitor center is open weekends from 10am to 4pm outside the summer season, and the park lists no December programs as of this writing. A short loop before lunch is a good outing for every age.

Closer to the house, a walk down to the water, a game of catch in the yard or a few minutes on the dock with a hot drink is often enough. For anglers, winter fishing is one of the reasons people come to the lake; our Lake Anna in winter guide covers it.

Booking a house for Christmas week

Christmas week is one of the first weeks to book for family homes, because large houses are few and families plan a year ahead.

• Book early. For a house that sleeps 14 to 16, look in late summer or early fall.
• Check the bed layout, not just the bedroom count. Grandparents may need a ground-floor room, and small children may need to share with parents.
• Ask about the fireplace. If the fire matters to your family, confirm that the home has one and how firewood works.
• Confirm check-in on the holiday. If you arrive on December 23 or 24, make sure you know exactly how to get in.

When you book directly with JekkyStay, our Check-in Promise applies: "If your group can't get into the home at check-in and we can't get you in within one hour of your call, we refund your first night." And our Stay Promise: "If the home isn't as described, or something important stops working, such as the air conditioning or heat, hot water, Wi-Fi or the pool, tell us. If we can't fix it within 24 hours, we refund the nights affected or move your group to a similar home."

See all our Lake Anna homes, or read more about planning a family reunion if your Christmas week doubles as one.

The bottom line

Christmas week at Lake Anna is a holiday built around the house: the fire, the long table and time together. Shop before you arrive, cook the big meals at home, plan one outing a day and be back before dark. If you want parades and tree lightings, come in the first weekend of December; during Christmas week itself, a light show near Richmond is the outing worth the drive. Check every event's official site for this year's dates, and book the house early.