It’s that time of year again. Love it or hate it, if you work in a living history museum or a historic house of any type you are likely in the thick of holiday programming. While I work at a computer-focused job now, I recall fondly the days of making wreaths and decorating houses and watching the lanterns glow.
My own waxing nostalgic aside, I wonder, how is holiday programming going for many of you in the field? Is this time of year a great visitation boost? Do visitors want the familiar or have you been looking for ways to freshen up your offerings? Are you doing anything different to attract a larger, and perhaps new, audience?
Please share what is working at your site and any new ideas you’re implementing and . . . take care during this holiday season.
–Deb Arenz
ALHFAM 
Heritage Park offers a “Once Upon a Christmas” event on the 5 weekends leading up to the holidays – a select number of houses in our historic village are traditionally decorated, roving carolers, wagon rides, kid’s crafts, visits with Santa, shopping and dining are all part of the experience. Visitors enjoy experiencing an “old fashioned Christmas” and the event has become an annual tradition for many families. This year, the weather has been unkind to the event – with temperatures dropping below -20C last weekend. We pre-sell tickets to a brunch in our hotel, so that still brings in a dedicated audience but nowhere near numbers we’ve had during milder years. Some new initiatives this year include an afternoon tea, weekdays the week before Christmas, and holiday themed films shown for our “Dinner & A Movie” series which tend to bring in a slightly different audience, and a more “weather-proof” experience.