Sharing the Season: Special Holiday Traditions
This holiday season, The Brown Homestead invited visitors to explore “traditions through time”. With each room of the John Brown House decorated to reflect a different era and generation of the farming families who called this historic place home, guests traced how Christmas traditions evolved from the late 1700s through to the 1950s, and also were encouraged to contribute their own family holiday traditions to the story. Read on to see what you shared with us.
Holidays at the Homestead welcomed over 225 community members to celebrate the festive season with us. From a merry day of family-friendly heritage crafts and sweet treats, to school field trip visits, cozy candlelit tours, and even a heartwarming outreach program to a local long-term care home, at the centre of our programming was to share in the spirit of the holidays.
We were pleased to see so many familiar faces return to our Festive Family Christmas event, especially families that we’ve watched grow up over the years. We were also glad welcome many new friends we’ve made through our talks and programs out in the community this year, as well as meet lots of new folks who visited us for the first time. Thanks to all those to chose to make The Brown Homestead a part of your holiday season, we hope it becomes a cherished tradition.
Sharing Your Traditions
Holidays at the Homestead: Traditions Through Time offered a chance to share a few of the Christmas traditions that would have been celebrated by the different farming families who lived at The Brown Homestead since the 1790s. We explored the more reserved and spiritual practices of the Georgian Era, the increasingly festive trends of the Victorian Era, and the dazzling wonderments of a 1950s Christmas through decorations, storytelling, crafts, and music.
Nestled amongst the tinsel, paper chains, and multi-coloured lights of our 1950s-inspired decorated Ballroom, we also set up a station for visitors to share their own family holiday traditions with us - either in words or illustration.
Though we can’t share them all, two truths shine through the reflections gathered: it’s the little joys that leave the biggest mark on us, and the people we share them with matter most. And isn’t this the very spirit of the holiday season after all?
Below we’ve selected a few family traditions shared by visitors that capture this spirit:
I go to Baba’s house for Christmas.
-Helena
25 years ago, we started a tradition of visiting an old home at Christmas. So glad that The Brown Homestead is open for us to visit - thanks!
-Diane, Ed, Corey, Jackie
In Estonia, Jule Vanna (old Christmas man) comes to visit the kids evening Dec 24th. The kids have to recite a poem to him before they get their present from him.
- Ann
All-you-can-eat sushi on Christmas Eve with the family and ice skating on the pond. After we open presents on Christmas, we watch the old videos that my dad used to take when we were kids.
- Miles
A drawing of two people around the Christmas tree indoors, while two people play outdoors with snowballs and a snowman.
- Iroh
Our immediate family will get together Christmas Eve and perform & sing Christmas carols, drink our festive sorrel Christmas drink, eat fruit cake, and bake cookies.
-Firle
We get a tree and hide a pickle ornament and whoever finds it gets a treat.
-Louise
We go to the farm and have Christmas dinner, then we go sledding. ❤️😊❤️
-Abigail M.E.
PJ’s on Christmas Eve. Oranges in each stocking toe. Turkey feast together. Sharing love & gratitude. ❤️
-McDonald Family
Perhaps reading these traditions remind you of your own, or better yet, inspire something new to try this season! We’d love to learn about our readers’ holiday traditions too - please leave a comment to share!
A Storytelling Tradition
As for us here at The Brown Homestead, our favourite Christmas tradition is our annual Christmas story reading. Each year, the wonderful Jennifer Humeniuk, who co-founded the organization along with our Executive Director Andrew, lends her voice and talents to narrating a special holiday classic for The Open Door podcast.
This year, Jen selected Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, the timeless tale about everyone’s favourite grump with a heart “two sizes too small.” You can listen to this special episode of The Open Door on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. In previous years, Jen has also narrated Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory and A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas. You can listen to the selection below.
Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and joyful holiday season!