Christmas at the Farm Featured at Billings Farm & Museum

WOODSTOCK, VERMONT... Discover the traditions of a 19th century Vermont Christmas with a visit to the Billings Farm & Museum, celebrating its 25th anniversary year. Christmas at the Billings Farm will be featured on weekends in December and December 26 – January 4, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Tours of the authentically decorated farmhouse, visits to the dairy farm for interactive programs, holiday activities, plus the Academy Award® nominee film, A Place in the Land will be offered.

Highlights of the Holiday Season

December 12, 13, & 14 - Woodstock's Wassail Celebration: historic Christmas ornament making in the farmhouse all day. Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Will Danforth will perform traditional holiday music in the farmhouse parlor. Sunday: 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.: horse-drawn sleigh or wagon rides.

December 26 – January 4 - Horse-drawn sleigh or wagon rides will be offered Dec. 26 – Jan. 4. Will Danforth will perform traditional holiday music in the 1890 Farm House parlor on Monday, December 29, from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Like most New England states, Vermont did not widely celebrate Christmas until late in the 19th century. It was not until 1890, when the farmhouse at the Billings Farm was completed, that Christmas became recognized as a holiday in all states. At that time, celebrations were much simpler than they would become in the 20th century. Families enjoyed the holiday, but still had cows to milk, ice to cut, and wood to saw. A few gifts, a special meal, and the gathering of friends, were noteworthy in an otherwise typical day. Decorations of the period included fresh greens draped over mantels, windows, and doorways throughout the house. Small trees, packed in a jar or butter tub that stood 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. Nearly all of the gifts were useful domestic items: fabric, clothing, umbrellas, linens, crockery, and carpet sweeps. Homemade, handcrafted items including fancy mittens, satin bows, and stockings filled with candies, nuts, and raisins were the most common type of gift given on Christmas Day.