You can take a trip through time and tradition Dec. 3-4 at Lang Pioneer Village in Keene, Ont., during the annual Chirstmas by Candlelight event.
Museum operations coordinator Hailey Doughty said that during the holidays the grounds become even more magical.
“The whole village goes into Christmas,” Doughty said.
“We have Father Christmas showing up, so he is a good one to come see. All the buildings will be lit in candlelight and lantern light and all of it will be touching on the traditions between different time periods.”
Doughty took us on a tour of the historical village, with our first stop being Christmas as it was in the 1840s, though some areas represent the traditions from earlier periods, such as the 1820s.
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“We aren’t just surviving like we were in the ’20s. We have a bigger home, we have our hearth, and we are starting to see the use of greenery,” Doughty said.
“On the table here, this is 1840s Christmas joy. We have toys starting to come in, but they would be handmade and wooden and maybe some cookies, but sugar was a very expensive item still, so the whole family might chip in for Christmas cookies.”
She added that during the weekend event visitors will be able to enjoy holiday treats, warm drinks, and take a ride on a horse-drawn wagon.
Doughty said there will also be both a nativity performance and an opportunity to learn about First Nations history.
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“It is full of living history. The buildings will all be open. We will have fires going. You’ll be able to go in and hear about the stories and the traditions. The village completely comes to life.”
Maybe even more so this year, Doughty said attendance at the village has been up and organizers are expecting thousands to visit over the course of the Christmas by Candlelight event.
Meanwhile, our tour through holiday history continues. We are now in the 1870s.
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“This is our Melbourne house,” Doughty said.
“We are going right into Victorian Christmas. This is my favourite time period because you really start to see those Christmas touches and traditions.”
Once inside, the kitchen is decorated with more holiday treats on the table.
“So you can see the spread of candy and cookies and sweets and cakes and that is because now we have general stores which have all of these items so it’s not so hard to get the chocolate and the sweets,” Doughty said.
In the adjoining room, another Christmas tradition is on display, the Christmas tree.
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“What people don’t realize is this tradition of Christmas trees hasn’t always been around. In Canada, it is heavily influenced by Queen Victoria’s husband who was German, and that is where the tradition came from to bring a Christmas tree inside,” she said.
“As you can see it is quite small and there are candles on it,” she said, quickly adding not to try that at home.
Now, she said, they are ready for the weekend — and for Santa.
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Christmas by Candlelight runs Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 8 p.m. both days. Parking is first come, first serve.
For more information, you can visit the Lang Pioneer Village website.
