20—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 23, 1972
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Christmas at Landis Valley . . .
Reflections of An Old-Fashioned Christmas Season
By Sally Bair
Feature Writer
An “old-fashioned” Christmas
brings to mind visions of popcorn
and cranberries, caroling and
candles, and a simple celebration
of the birth of Christ.
While it isn’t possible to return
to simpler times, it is possible to
regain the spirit of a traditional
Christmas with a visit to the
Landis Valley Farm Museum.
This week the museum ushered
in the Christmas season with its
annual community carol sing,
complete with tableaux of the
season Singing was led by
members of the Lancaster Opera
Workshop, but the enthusiasm
and spirit came from the nearly
1,000 people attending
Jolly Old St Nicholas was
climbing down the chimney of the
Toll House, carolers in 19th
century dress were singing by a
lamp post and a manger scene
could be seen in the hayloft The
A cast iron "Eclipse" wood-burning stove for the little cook
in the family. It came complete with iron skillet, teakettle and
deep cooking kettle.
A gabled house at the turn of the century is part of the
antique toy exhibit at Landis Valley Farm Museum. There are
circus toys in the background and a toy school and pupils in
the foreground.
Mrs. Winnie Brendel, in authentic dress, holds a mold of
suet and seeds to be hung on a tree for the birds. Also on the
table is a bowl of greens, popcorn, nuts, fresh and dried
apples.
lifeiicastei Panning Photos
glow of real lighted candles from
the windows of the museum
buildings added to the in
spirational atmosphere as the
wondrous Christmas story was
told again by the Rev. Galen P.
Work, pastor of Memorial
Presbyterian Church, Lancaster.
Toys play an important role in
i
The traditional Christmas
tree, surrounded by antique
toys of the period. The tree
has real candles and some
very early Christmas balls.
our Christmas celebration, and a
tradition at the Farm Museum is
the antique toy exhibit, dating
from 1875. This display is a
delight for young and old alike.
There are dolls, sleds and hobby
horses, as well as mechanical
piggy banks, iron fire trucks and
a circus merry-go-round.
But the true spirit of an old
fashioned Christmas is captured
best in the Settler’s Cabin, which
depicts life in rural southeastern
Pennsylvania in the mid-1700’s.
Here the decorations are simple,
but beautiful.
According to Carroll Hopf,
acting director of the museum, a
lot of research went into the
preparation of these decorations.
He said, “We have been
especially careful to use only
materials which the early set
tlers would have had on hand.”
Simple as the decorations are, he
said, “They may still be in excess
of what was done.”
“One of the difficulties in
gathering information on these
early Christmas celebrations is
that the amount of decoration
varied greatly among the many
German sects who settled here.”
Hopf said.
Mrs. Winnie Brendel,
Reinholds, presides over the
Settler’s Cabin, and is filled with
enthusiasm as she describes the
Christmas which might have
taken place there. She said, “The
cabin is decorated according to
the Lutheran, Reformed and
Moravian church people who did
much more decorating in their
homes than the Anabaptists.”
•' ----- -
As Christmas approaches I’m
sure we all look forward to seeing
friends and relatives who have
been away. It gives us a warm
feeling to know that people care
and that they remember us.
They say there is nothing so
constant as change and the size of
family groups certainly fits in
that category. As the children
come into a home it grows and
grows, only to have it decrease in
size as they grow up and leave.
But then as they return on
holidays and bring friends and
start new families the swing is
upward again.
We are looking forward to a
family get-together at Christmas
and expect my sister from
Michigan to come East with her
family and also my sister from
Clarion County.
Recently a lady told me that
her children don’t come to her
home for Christmas because they
like “leavings” so much. Only
I do 5
W ebook '
HU*
xxx
The Advent wreath, a
tradition Observed today, was a
simple ring of greens on a table.
It was the custom, Mrs. Brendel
says, to place one candle on the
wreath on each Sunday of the
Advent season. The center candle
was added on Christmas Eve,
and the wreath was burned as
long as was possible without the
the danger of fire.
The wreath at the Settler’s
cabin has candles of natural
(Continued On Page 21)
Mary and Joseph rock the
cradle in the barn at the
Landis Valley Farm Museum
as the chorus sings “Away in
the Manger."
after she explained this to me did
I understand that she meant they
enjoy the dishes made from
leftover turkey.
Whatever the reason, many
young couples enjoy spending
Christmas in their own homes
with their children in order to
start traditions of their own. We
all need routines and rituals in
our lives.
We always lined up on the
stairsteps, as early as die kiddies
could get us out of bed, with the
youngest at the bottom step so
they could get to the stockings
first. And then the gifts were
given out in certain order.
As my children no longer have
a Childrens Program to look
forward to, we usually attend a
Candlelight Service on Christmas
sve. Now all we need is a bit of
snow but not enough to close our
long lane.
Several years ago on Christ
mas Day, we hauled our milk out
through the fields to the truck.