Dec. 6 & 7 — WOODSTOCK — Discover the traditions of a late 19th century Vermont Christmas with a visit to the Billings Farm & Museum. Christmas at the Billings Farm will be featured on weekends in December and Dec. 20 – Jan. 1, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.(excluding Christmas Day). Tours of the authentically decorated farmhouse, visits to the dairy farm for interactive programs including Introduction to Milking and Milking the Herd at 3:15 p.m. each day, holiday activities, plus view the Academy Award® nominee film, “A Place in the Land.” Highlights this weekend, Dec. 6 and 7, include making silhouettes and poppers and candle dipping.
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, 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.
For more info, visit billingsfarm.org or call 802-457-2355.
