Christmas Past
Have you often wished you could be part of a Christmas from another time? Do you love the beauty of a Victorian home draped with pine boughs and lit with candles? Do you long to relive a Dickens Christmas? Or perhaps the down home coziness of a pioneer Christmas appeals to you. Many historical homes or locations have Christmas events the public is invited to. Find one in your area and enjoy a Christmas in the past.
Go Victorian
During the first three Thursdays in December, you can tour Hearthstone Historic House Museum in Appleton, the worlds first home lit by hydroelectric power. Decorated for "Winter Pastimes" the mansion is a magnificent background for the Victorian Christmas display. The home still uses the original switches designed by Thomas Edison.
The Pabst mansion celebrates a Gilded-Age Christmas, from November 15 through January 12, 2003. This historically recognized mansion, originally built for the founder of the Pabst Brewery, displays what Christmas might have been like in the home of one of the upper class during an age when 'more is better' was the final word in decor.
"Christmas in the Past" is celebrated at the Rollo Jamison Museum in Platteville. Sing carols around a 14-foot Christmas tree decorated in Victorian style. Participate by creating your own Victorian era tree ornament.
The Cook Rutledge Mansion in Chippewa Falls has an open house on the first two weekends in December. A fine example of High Victorian- Italianate architecture, the mansion is decorated in Victorian style and has carolers and old-fashioned treats.
At the Gringon mansion, owned by fur trader Charles A. Grignon, experience "Christmas in the Woods". For this one-night, November 29, candles light the mansion. You can partake in a horse drawn wagon ride around the grounds, taste French and pioneer recipes, and see 1840s holiday preparations come to life. Reservations needed.
In Fond du Lac you can tour a restored Queen Anne mansion. This grand old Painted Lady is the Ebert Estate, where from December 1 through December 15, the trees are decorated with hand-blown glass ornaments from Germany, Italy, and other places around the world.
Community
Sometimes the whole community helps to present a particular Christmas style. On Fridays, starting November 22, Cedarburg, Wisconsin, celebrates Festive Fridays. The thirty shops of Cedar Creek settlement are decorated with natural greenery and garlands. Luminaries light your way beneath thousands of tiny white lights. There are carolers, live music, wine tasting and a winter cookout to keep you in the spirit.
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