Add a Historic Twist to Your Holidays (Part 1)

Are you looking to add a bit of culture to the holiday season? This time of year, historic homes and local communities dress up and present holiday programs giving you a chance to see the lights, sites and learn more about regional traditions. Here is a sampling of holiday events from Gozaic.com with more coming later this week.

Monterey County, California, Christmas in the Adobes, Dec. 10 and 12, 2009, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.: Monterey invites visitors to tour many historic adobes by candlelight at the 25th Annual Christmas in the Adobes. Period decorations, musical entertainment and costumed re-enactors create a delightful atmosphere. The 20 19th-century adobes, lit by luminaries for the holidays, are within close proximity to each other, making it easy for guests to enjoy the array of décor and music.

Edenton-Chowan County, North Carolina, Annual Candlelight Christmas Tour and Parade, Dec. 11-12, 2009: The annual Christmas tour features private homes seasonally decorated and open to the public from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. The Barker House is the headquarters for this event and where the holiday repast takes place, with famous eggnog and more; repast begins at 1 p.m. Enjoy the Christmas parade with floats, boats, horses, children and holiday cheer on Dec. 12 beginning at 11 a.m.

Franklin-Williamson County, Tennessee, Dickens of a Christmas, Dec. 12-13, 2009: The Dickens Festival brings the joy and charm of an old-fashioned Victorian Christmas to historic downtown. Franklin’s Main Street is transformed with costumed Dickens characters, the clatter of a horse and carriage and a holiday bazaar. Victorian treats abound, from authentic fish and chips to turkey legs, roasted chestnuts and sugarplums.

Historic Rugby, Tennessee, Christmas at Historic Rugby,
Dec. 12, 2009; 4 p.m.-9 p.m.: Step back to an 1880s Christmas in Rugby, Tennessee. Visit beautifully decorated candle- and lamp-lit buildings, with actors portraying early Rugby colonists; join in carol singing with hot wassail and a traditional service at 1887 Christ Church; shop for holiday treasures at the Rugby Commissary; and enjoy a four-course Victorian dinner at the Harrow Road Café.

Bluefield-Princeton, West Virginia, Bramwell Christmas Tour of Homes, Dec. 12, 2009: Take a holiday tour of the homes of Bramwell lavishly decorated for Christmas. Hear the stories of the extravagant coal barons who spared no expense on their homes. Once the gateway to the Pocahontas coalfields, Bramwell was home of many coal operators — at one time as many as 19 millionaires lived in Bramwell. During the tour of homes, also visit the museum and shops.

Photos from top to bottom: Dixon House, Edenton, North Carolina; Rugby Christmas, Tennessee.