It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. With decorations throughout campus and exams on every planner, the telltale signs of an approaching Winter Break are upon us. As the end-of-semester stress chases us into December, it can be hard to get into the holiday spirit and embrace the beauty of the season. Longwood Gardens is the perfect excursion guaranteed to fill your day with holiday cheer.

Longwood Gardens is a botanical garden located in Kennett Square, PA (roughly 40 minutes away from Villanova’s campus by car). The gardens are beautiful year-round, but they are truly a sight to behold during the Christmas season. Since the 1950s, Longwood Gardens has crafted extraordinary Christmas-themed displays for its annual A Longwood Christmas event, which runs from Nov. 17 to Jan. 7.

Filling an estimated 200 acres, these gardens are amplified with holiday lights and decked out in everything Christmas. Though there are decorations abound, natural beauty is at the core of Longwood Gardens’ displays. Conservatories and outdoor gardens are carefully arranged with varieties of plants and the picture is completed with traditional Christmas decor.

Every year, a theme is chosen for the A Longwood Christmas display, and this year’s theme is “A Very Retro Christmas.” Pulling inspiration from Christmases past, the gardens have been filled with vintage ornaments, tinsel and throwback decorations. While the theme attaches time periods to these displays, they have an ageless beauty about them.

The displays are beautiful during all times of the day, and if you happen to book your tickets for an extraordinarily cold day, don’t worry. Concession stands are located within the gardens where you can get a cup of hot chocolate to help you brave the inevitable cold of the winter season.

Freshman Caroline Bernacki recently took a trip to see the A Longwood Christmas display.

“There’s so much to look at,” she said. “Everything was so meticulously decorated and creative, as soon as you stepped in you could feel the Christmas spirit.”

The exhibit is such a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the season with the people you love—it is an outing that cannot be recommended enough.

Elegant, classy and timeless, A Longwood Christmas will truly be the prettiest sight to see this season. Whether you’ve been to Longwood Gardens before or are learning about it for the first time, I strongly encourage you to go visit.

Tickets for the event are available for purchase online, though the gardens are a bit removed from Villanova’s campus, don’t be afraid to bring a little school spirit with you. Be sure to show off your Wildcard for a student discount.