Celebrating Christmas past in Hudson, Que. museum

In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the Greenwood Centre for Living History in Hudson, Que. is giving visitors a chance to celebrate a different kind of Christmas, one rooted in the past.

There are no flashing lights or tinsel to be found in the rooms of the historic building, part of which dates back to the 1740s.

Instead, the decorations are foraged from nature or handmade and in some cases even edible.

Kathryn Lamb, a volunteer who is on the conservation committee at the museum, said they were looking for ways to raise funds to maintain the building, and the idea of hosting an Old Fashioned Christmas came up.

“We had this beautiful locale filled with, historic and lovely artifacts, and we thought, what if we tried to decorate Greenwood for Christmas in a way that it would have been done in the early years, in the late 1700s, in the early 1800s?” she said.

In their research they found Victorian Christmas decorations were simple, things that could be locally foraged or made in the home.

Citrus was a special treat at this time of year, so they used it to decorate and even made dehydrated orange slices that look like stained glass.

They used boughs, candles and bows to decorate the mantles and window sills.

While not all of the decorations are period, Lamb says there is a theme of simplicity that stands in stark contrast to the consumerism and excesses of the season.

“You know, we need a little respite from that. We need real things. Real music, real smells, real things to look at,” she said.

The museum hosts an Old Fashioned Christmas over several weekends in December to get visitors into the spirit of the season. It features carollers, fiddlers and hot apple cider and cookies for visitors.

Sandy Racicot, executive director of the museum, said it’s a popular fundraiser is not an exhibit but an experience that changes people and causes them to reconsider some of their own traditions.

“Perhaps this is a reminder that it's not a lot about all the shopping and all the, stress of Christmas that when you just sit down for a little bit in the silence and, and you, you look around and you listen to things in a more calm way that you can allow yourself to be like a child again and be excited about Christmas,” she said.

The event is over for this season but will take place again in December 2025.