WOODSTOCK—Discover the traditions of a late 19th century Vermont Christmas with a visit to the Billings Farm & Museum this holiday season. Christmas at the Billings Farm will be featured on weekends in December and Dec. 22-Jan. 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (excluding Christmas Day). Tour the authentically decorated farmhouse, visit the dairy farm for interactive programs including “An Introduction to Milking” and “Milking the Herd” at 3:15 p.m. each day. Holiday programs, making historic Christmas ornaments and candle dipping, plus the Academy Award® nominee film, “A Place in the Land” will be offered. Dec. 26 – Jan. 1. Horse-drawn sleigh or wagon rides will also take place, if conditions permit, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Decorations of the period included fresh greens draped over mantels, windows, and staircases throughout the house. Small trees, packed in a jar or butter tub and placed on a tabletop were common. Many of the ornaments reflected an agricultural tradition, including strands of cranberries, popcorn, or dried apples that circled the tree. Apples studded with cloves, “exotic” oranges, silvered (foil-covered) chestnuts, painted pinecones, and acorns complemented the handmade paper ornaments, which rounded out many a tree’s decorations.
In Woodstock, turn-of-the-century businesses advertised their wares for Christmas gifts. Most gifts were useful domestic items: fabric, clothing, umbrellas, linens, crockery, and carpet sweepers. Homemade, handcrafted items including fancy mittens, satin bows, and stockings filled with candies, nuts, and raisins were among the most common gifts given on Christmas Day.
The Farm & Museum is located one-half mile north of the Woodstock village green on Vermont Route 12. Admission is $16 for adults; $14 for age 62-plus; $8 for ages 5-15; $4 for ages 3-4; and is free for age 2 and under. For information, contact 802-457-2355 or visit billingsfarm.org.
