DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS NOV. 17, 2020

Locally crafted ornaments at the Executive Mansion are back by popular demand.  Please join us in celebrating what makes each Virginia city, town and county special.

Previously nearly 200 localities contributed stunning handmade ornaments to adorn the holiday trees at the Executive Mansion. Thousands of visitors from across the world toured the mansion and viewed the ornaments, learning about the diverse heritage of the Commonwealth’s cities, towns, and counties.

The tree was so popular that the Governor and First Lady have asked VML to again collect local heritage ornaments from Virginia cities and towns. (Our friends at the Virginia Association of Counties will be collecting ornaments from counties.)

Each locality may submit one hand-crafted ornament that uniquely represents their community. You also may reuse an ornament sent previously if the ornament is still in displayable condition. The guidelines for making and submitting ornaments are below and have been slightly adjusted to previous years.

With the health and safety of all in mind this year we will not be physically hosting a holiday Open House.  We encourage everyone to stay tuned to our social media pages to see their ornaments featured throughout the season.  Please visit executivemansion.virginia.gov or follow @FirstLadyVA on Facebook and Twitter.

To participate

Step 1: Email Manuel Timbreza, mtimbreza@vml.org to confirm your entry. In the body of the email please note the name of your city, town or county along with the contact person who will be coordinating the project.

Step 2:  Handmade ornaments may be submitted to VML no later than November 17, 2020. They can be mailed to:

Virginia Municipal League
ATTN: Manuel Timbreza
P.O. Box 12164
Richmond, VA 23241

2020 Ornament guidelines 

• Each participating locality may submit one ornament.
• The Executive Mansion suggests a depiction of some unique feature that is specific to your community, such as a historic home, a noted person, a natural feature, an animal or plant from the region, etc. with the understanding the overall theme this year will be Home for the Holidays.
• The Executive Mansion prefers hand-made ornaments as opposed to purchased ornaments.
• The Executive Mansion has asked to keep the ornament for future use.
• Examples of materials that could be used for creating the ornament include clay, glass, shells, fabric, wood, found objects, and objects from nature.
• The ornament should be no larger than 6 inches in any dimension.
• Please no battery operated ornaments or any weighing more than 1.5 ounces or they will not be able to be displayed on the trees.
• The finished ornament should include the name of the locality, year and artist on the back or bottom.
• The artist/artisan should reside in or near the locality. Seek artists in your community at local colleges or societies or guilds for arts, woodworking, glass making, etc.
• Deadline for submitting the ornament is Tuesday, November 17, 2020.

We welcome you to phone or email with any questions so that we can work with you on what we hope will be a fun and creative project that displays our Virginia pride.  Please feel free to contact the VML or VACo office as appropriate or you may also contact the Executive Mansion at 804-371-2642 or executivemansion@governor.virginia.gov.

Thank you for helping us showcase the best of our Commonwealth!