Ormiston Mansion's Annual Holiday Wassail

Royal Heritage Members and their guests plan to usher in the 2024 holiday season by attending the RHS’s annual traditional Scottish Wassail held as always at Ormiston Mansion, the society’s 1798 home.  Ormiston will be decorated in all its best holiday finery. This year’s Wassail will be held on Wednesday December 4th, 2024 from 6:30 PM until 9:30 PM. The Ormiston front parlor Christmas tree will dazzle guests as they walk through the front door.  The tree will sport that special Ormiston WOW factor. It will be festooned with red plaid ribbons,  gleaming ornaments and sparkling lights.

The evening festivities will begin in the mansion’s first floor dining room where copious hors d’oeuves and holiday drinks will be served in the mansion’s dining room. After guests have enjoyed these, they will move to the large second-floor reception room where a holiday dinner will be served buffet style with traditional favorites.  In the adjacent President’s Room, an assortment of deserts will be available along with coffee and tea for all to enjoy after their holiday meal. 

Following the Wassail’s buffet dinner, the evening’s highlight is the caroling that occurs when all the guests return to the first-floor front parlor.  In recent years, Jack Williams, long-time RHS member, has played the piano and led the guests in singing well known Christmas carols.   As in past years at the end of the evening, everyone will sing the British hymn, Jerusalem, written by William Blake.  Jerusalem, considered the alternative British national anthem, ends the evening on a high note.

This year the RHS will honor former President, Tom Elsasser.  Tom Elsasser, a graduate of the US Naval Academy with a distinguished Naval career, upon his retirement served for many years as President of the Royal Heritage Society.