I first visited CW about 35 years ago and loved it. At that time they had little Christmas-related programming, because that holiday was not celebrated during our Colonial era by Anglicans, it was considered a solemn season until First Night (now known as New Year's Eve) when a lot of marriages occurred. At that time, the only concessions to Christmas (at CW) were the wreaths on the various houses, pine roping on the Governor's palace and the constant reminder at the historical sites that Christmas was not celebrated during Colonial times.
Historic tradesmen were a-plenty as were many elaborate programs requiring large staffing which were really fun...anyone remember the family programs at the Powell House, adjacent to Christiana Campbell's which were incredibly immersive and illuminating and non well-attended due to the location, imo. We always visited it because, outside of the property behind the Randolph house which had Colonial toys to play with, it was the only area that consistently included children whether it was ironing clothes, setting a table, folding napkins grating sugar, washing dishes, or the ilk.
At that time they had 3 Colonial time period programs running depending on which day you went. They were as far as had been researched of the period. They were fully staffed and wonderful, they were apparently financially unsustainable. I applaud CW's efforts to expand their revenue base by exploring topics outside of their time period while still making the programs about the history of America. (This statement does, of course, not extend to the CW Lights event.) It seems like they have incorporated substantive children's programming into many more areas than the Powell House (which is currently closed.)
Even though their Christmas programming is not true to the Colonial period, I love it. They've done programs where you travel to various houses and see scenes through the years that could-have or did occur during the Christmas season (but not necessarily during Colonial times) including a visit to theTucker House where a German tutor introduced the first Christmas tree in Virginia. They have a wonderful Christmas tea at Christiana Campbell's. They have had a really good program with an actor explaining the differences between Yuletide in Virginia and England. I could go on, but there is a large amount of Christmas programming every year which is very elucidating and fun despite not being specific to the time, including a program they did in concert with Jamestowne that involved Native people, and Settlers. (If it is not something people would have done in Colonial times they always tell you.)
If you are only interested in total Colonial period historic accuracy in CW's programming it seems to not have been financially viable at their staffing levels. Due to their limited time period of representation the programs at the main historical sites, the Capitol, the Governor's Palace, the Magazine, the Randolph House, the Wythe House, were much the same for years on end, perhaps discouraging future visits. Every visit with a tradesperson in potentially educational and fun each visit. Their programs are still wonderful, oft-times even more so than in the full or redundant staffing days.
To get back to CW Lights, I can totally understand the people who think it's too time inappropriate for the venue, even Tivoli Gardens were sixty years past the original CW programming timeline. Given the financial needs of CW and also the fact that it's an after-hours event that is fully explained in the advertising, I'm okay with it and look forward to the Colonial music played. I've provided some (probably biased) data for debate on strict historical accuracy vs. financially expedient programming but I know there is a line some feel has been crossed and I don't have enough data to say 'is this worth it.' I think 'not being worth it' would indicate there's a net-loss for the program due to outrage and cancelled passes, or maybe just lingering doubts about their mission which could be attributed to future revenue loss. Of course, not enough tickets bought to cover the cost is an option as well, but I don't know if this is typically a revenue-sharing event or one where you pay for the installation, fees, etc. and reap all, if any profits.