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Old Sturbridge Village
gets into the Spirit of the Season
Outdoor history museum explores
Christmas over time
STURBRIDGE, Mass. (October 27, 2004) For just the second
year, Old Sturbridge Village marks the Christmas season in a
way not traditionally seen at the outdoor history museum. The
Spirit of the Season runs from December 1 through January
2, encompassing weekday and weekend operations at the museum
and several evening programs. One such evening program, Christmas
Traditions by Candlelight, is held on six Saturday and Sunday
evenings in December and explores the origins and evolution of
holiday traditions held dear by many New Englanders today.
"We call December our 'fifth season,'"
says Beverly K. Sheppard, president of Old Sturbridge Village,
referring to the four-season operation of the museum. "We
know early New Englanders didn't celebrate Christmas, but there's
so much more to the story than that. Visitors come to the Village
at this time of year curious to know when Christmas did arrive
in the New England countryside-our research tells us that some
folks were starting to mark the holiday in more tangible ways
by the middle of the 19th century-and where some of the traditions
originated. What better place to tell the story of Christmas
traditions over time than a historical setting like Old Sturbridge
Village?"
What better place, indeed, to see-and
smell-chestnuts roasting over an open fire? Or to find out what's
in wassail? Or why call it plum pudding if there are no plums
in it? Or what a sugarplum is? Or when the first Christmas tree
was brought to New England and where that tradition originated?
During Christmas Traditions by Candlelight, held Dec.
4, 5, 11, 12, 18, and 19, from 5 to 9 p.m., visitors can
revel in the charm and coziness of the Center Village aglow with
candlelight, hear carols sung by choirs from surrounding communities,
ride a horse-drawn sleigh or wagon around the Common, and sample
some foods long associated with the holiday. Father Christmas
is on hand to explain why his long burgundy robe and crown of
holly might not fit the modern image of Santa Claus-and when
that modern image came into being.
For this special program, houses and
shops around the Common each focus on one or more traditions
associated with the holiday, including Christmas cards, Christmas
trees and ornaments, the Wassail bowl, hanging stockings, caroling,
and exchanging gifts. In Bullard Tavern, where Father Christmas
offers greetings, period beverages are available at a cash bar,
and visitors can hear a fireside reading of Clement C. Moore's
"A Visit from St. Nicholas ("'Twas the Night Before
Christmas") or learn a period dance. Admission for the evening
program is $12 per person and is separate from daytime admission.
Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.osv.org
or at the door.
Old Sturbridge Village's Spirit of
the Season is also evident in the decorated Center Village, open
daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December (except Dec.
25), with special activities planned for weekend days. Visitors
to the museum on weekdays throughout the month see houses and
shops in the Center Village decorated for Christmas and can learn
about what early New Englanders thought of the practice of "keeping
Christmas" and when celebrations became more widely accepted.
Special hands-on activities are offered
on weekend days in December, as well as during Family Vacation
Week (Dec. 26-31), and First Day at Old Sturbridge Village
(Jan. 1). Visitors to the Village during the cold weather are
invited to bring along skates and take a spin on the ice skating
area set up on the Common. On weekends, there are also horse-drawn
sleigh or wagon rides around the Common. Daytime Village admission
is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors (ages 65 and over), $5 for
youths (ages 3-17), and free for children under three.
In addition to the daytime museum offerings
and the new evening program, the Spirit of the Season also encompasses
several other programs, including the J.P. Barger Holiday Concert
and Dinner (Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m.), Families Cook (Dec. 29, 4:45
p.m.), and a special New Year's Eve Feast at Bullard Tavern within
the museum Village (Dec. 31, 8 p.m.).
The annual
J.P. Barger Holiday Concert and Dinner
includes a candlelit performance of holiday music in the Center
Meetinghouse, this year featuring the Boston Ballet Brass, followed
by dinner in the Oliver Wight Tavern. The price for the event
is $65 per person, including tax and gratuity. Reservations may
be made online at www.osv.org.
Families Cook
on Dec. 29 (4:45-8:45 p.m.) is an all-ages version of the Village's
popular Dinner in a Country Village adult program, held in the
Parsonage in the colder months. Fourteen participants ages 8
and up prepare at the hearth and eat a meal made from early New
England receipts (recipes). Costumed interpreters oversee the
proceedings, but it's the participants who do the mixing, mulling,
and roasting, using early 19th-century tools and techniques.
The price for this unforgettable experience is $85 per person.
Reservations may be made by calling 508-347-3362, ext. 274.
New Year's Eve at Old Sturbridge Village
sees a special version of the museum's new Hearthside Bounty
program, entitled Old Friends, New Feast, 19th-century Tavern
Experience. Guests gather in Bullard Tavern, engage in period
gaming, enjoy period beverages, and participate in dinner preparations
at the hearth, with the menu based entirely on period receipts
(recipes). The meal is served family style in the Great Room,
and instruction in 19th-century table manners-and toasting-is
offered by costumed staff. The price is $75 per person, including
tax and gratuity. Reservations may be made by calling 508-347-0395.
The Shops at Old Sturbridge Village
are open during museum hours with evening hours on weekends and
during Christmas Traditions by Candlelight. The Museum Gift Shop
offers items made by hand at Old Sturbridge Village by tinners,
potters, and broom makers. There are also a number of items based
on artifacts in the Village's extensive collections, such as
furniture, glassware, fabrics, and kits for wall-stenciling and
quilting. A selection of specialty New England foods, accents
for the home, glassware and china, jewelry, stationery, craft
kits, early American toys and educational games for children,
and T-shirts round out the offerings.
The New England Bookstore has
a broad selection of books on a variety of topics, including
local and American history, cooking, gardening, crafts of all
kinds, and a popular children's section. There is also a section
on 19th-century New England poetry and early American literature
as well as audio recordings and calendars.
The Lodges at Old Sturbridge Village
offer special packages during the month that combine Village
admission, overnight accommodations, dinner at the Tavern, and
tickets to Christmas Traditions by Candlelight at Old Sturbridge
Village. The one-night package is priced at $164 per couple and
$204 per family, based on two adults and two youths. A New Year's
Eve package includes the feast in Bullard Tavern, overnight lodging,
New Year's Day Brunch in the Oliver Wight Tavern, and two-day
Village admission. This package is offered at $349 per couple,
with a single rate of $229. Reservations may be made online at
www.osv.org/lodges or by calling the Lodges at 508-347-3327.
Old Sturbridge Village is located just
off Route 20 in Sturbridge, near Exit 9 of the Mass Pike (I-90)
and Exit 2 of I-84. Details on these events and daily activities
at Old Sturbridge Village are available by visiting www.osv.org
or calling 800-SEE-1830 (TTY 508-347-5383).
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