Table of Contents for Passion for the Past

Click HERE for the updated 2015 version of the Table of Contents


Well I did it!
I created a table of contents with links to nearly every posting I wrote here from 2010 through the most current one.
For the years previous to 2010 there are some of what I consider to be my favorites or those that show up as being read frequently.
This is a start, eh? And hopefully it will help you locate what you may be looking for.
I hope the way its laid out makes sense...please let me know what you think or if any of the links don't work.
Thanks!

Antiques
Just What Constitutes an Antique Anyway (part 2)
My Home Away From...er...Wait! My HOME!!
This Old House

Christmas - see "Holidays"


Civil War - Historical
Had You Been In Gettysburg the Week Before the Battle…
Lincoln at Gettysburg: First-Hand Accounts
President Lincoln at Gettysburg: First-Hand Accounts
Stories of the Tillie Pierce House of Gettysburg
Into the Tornado of War: Perryville - The First Battle for the 21st Michigan 


Civil War Era Reenacting (most of my favorites)
Also see "Living History"
Also see "Christmas" under HOLIDAYS
2009 - The Year in Review: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
21st Michigan Christmas Party: A Period Party Like No Other 2013
21st Michigan Civilian Meeting 2013
21st Michigan Civilian Meeting 2012: We Take Our Fun Seriously
21st Michigan Civilian Meeting: Meetings Don't Have to be Boring, Especially For A Reenacting Unit
21st Michigan: Into the Tornado of War: The Mustering In of the 21st Michigan
Charlton Park 2010
Charlton Park Event 2011 - Where the Past Comes Alive
Charlton Park: A Peak Into the Past 2012
Charlton Park - July 2013: An Immersion Experience
Crossroads Village: An 1860's Village Celebration
Dexter, Michigan Civil War Event
Fort Wayne 2012 
Fort Wayne 2013
Greenfield Village 2010: Decoration Day at Greenfield Village
Greenfield Village 2011:  Civil War Remembrance 2011
Greenfield Village 2011:  More Photos of Civil War Remembrance
Greenfield Village 2012 - Memorial Weekend Civil War Remembrance
Greenfield Village: 2013 - Memorial Day Weekend
Harvest Ball 2011
Harvest Ball 2013
Into the Tornado of War: Perryville - The First Battle for the 21st Michigan
Jackson: Life in Jacksonburgh 2012
Jackson, Michigan Cascades Muster 2013: A Family Reunion
Pictures From the Last Few Civil War Era Events I Participated In (2010)
Port Sanilac 2011
Port Sanilac 2011: My Big Fat Shotgun Wedding by "Carrie May"
Port Sanilac 2012
Port Sanilac 2013: Bringing the Citizens of Gettysburg to Life
The Reenacting Season Has Begun! (Walker Tavern & Kelly Middle School) 2013
School Event and Romeo: Calm Before the Storm 
Walker Tavern 2011: It Rained in the 1860's, too!!
Walker Tavern 2012 
Waterloo Farms 2010
Waterloo 2011: My Favorite Place To Reenact
Waterloo Farms 2013
Wolcott Mill 2011
Wolcott Mill 2012 
Wolcott Mill 2013


Colonial and Revolutionary War
A Rare Political Post
Detroit: A True Colonial City  
In the Good Old Colony Days
Faces of History: Original Photographs of Revolutionary War Vets
Future Colonial Reenacting Plans
Greenfield Village: Colonial Ken Visits Greenfield Village
Paul Revere: Listen My Children and You Shall Hear...
Reenacting Early American History
Two Centuries / One Weekend
With Liberty and Justice For All: The Fight for Independence at the Henry Ford Museum


Dept. 56 Lighted Houses
A Wonderful Description of Christmas Past, Courtesy of Mr. Charles Dickens
Christmas Dreaming A Little Early
Colonial Williamsburg Lighted House Collection
Dickens Village Display for 2011 
My Own Personal Daggett Farm House and Farris Windmill


Detroit and Michigan History 
Cemetery Walks - A Unique Way To Present Local History (2013)
Detroit: A True Colonial City 
Detroit During the War of 1812 and the Regency Era: 1811 - 1820 
Victorian Detroit (Detroit Wasn't Always the Motor City)
Eastpointe: My Modern Suburban City Was Once a Village of the 19th Century
Eastpointe: A Unique Way of Bringing the Past to Life
Michigan's Magical History Tour


Everyday Life in the 19th Century
1st Person Trip to the Past Written By Those Who Were There
19th Century Mourning Practices (Revised) 
A Fall Harvest Link to the Past
Autumn Food Pleasures of the Past
A Visit To the Photographer (or, Having Our Likeness Taken)
Dinner or Supper?
Early Farming (and other) Tools From Days Gone By
Heating Stoves and Wall Pockets: Items That Made A House A Home
Mourning Practices of the 19th Century (revised)
Taverns of 19th Century Michigan - Updated
The World of a 19th Century Country Doctor
The World of 19th Century Rural Michigan Teachers - - Updated
Zap! You Are Suddenly in the Mid-19th Century, and it's Spring! What Do You Do Now? (Updated March of 2014)
Zap! You Are Suddenly in the Mid-19th Century...and it's Summer - What Now?
Zap! You Are Suddenly Thrust Back in Time, and it's Autumn - What Now?
Zap! You've Been Thrust Back in Time to the mid-19th Century...and it's Thanksgiving! What Now?
Zap! You Suddenly Find yourself in the Mid-19th Century...and It's Winter - What Now?
Zap! You Are Now in 1850...What the Heck are all These Mills for Anyhow?
Zap! You are Now Living in 1860 - What Now? (The World of a 19th Century Repair Shop)
Zap! You Are Now in 1860 - - - And You Need To Go Shopping! - - - What Now???
ZAP! You Are Now In 1877 - - - What now???


Food
A Fall Harvest Link to the Past
A Taste of History
Autumn Food Pleasures of the Past
Eating Authentically at an Event


Fun Stuff
An Interview With "President Lincoln"
Can You Imagine Opening Your Favorite Magazine and... 
I Want to go Down to Gettysburg Town...
Is That A Real Fire? And Other Questions Reenactors Get Asked
It Takes A Village - Crossroads Village
The Last Mourner for Lincoln
Movie - The Premier Night of "Lincoln" 
Movie - "Lincoln" and Bringing History to Life
Movies - Three Great Historical Movies You Should See: John Adams, Gods & Generals, and Gettysburg
Living History/Reenacting/Interpreter Laughs
The Many Wonders of Modern Technology 
Michigan Renaissance Festival = The Michigan Fantasy Faire 
Out of My Mind on Monday Mornin'

South Park:  Super Fun Time - a Satire of Living History

Time-Travel Reversal
Time Warpians


Genealogy
Get Your Family Stories While You Can
A Wonderful Way To Bring Your Ancestors "To Life"


Greenfield Village
Ackley Covered Bridge 1832
A Day Steeped in History...Saturday, April 14, 2012... 
A Taste of History
Christmas at Greenfield Village 2010
Christmas Dreaming to Christmas Reality 2010
Firestone Farm at Greenfield Village
Four Seasons of Michigan
Greenfield Village Blog
How I spent the 4th of July 2013
The Glorious Fourth
Old Car Festival
Opening day 2013
Preserving History
Tales of Everyday Life in Menlo Park (or Francis Jehl: A Young Boy's Experience Working at Menlo Park)


Henry Ford Museum
Henry Ford Museum
Henry Ford Museum: I'm Having a Writer's Block - So, Here Are A Few Pictures From My Visit To the Museum
More Americana at the Henry Ford Museum


History in the News
Altered History (or What Some People Won't Do For Fame)
Earliest Sound Recording Known to Man
History in the News: The Past in the Present
History in the News: The Past in the Present (part 2)
History in the News: The Past in the Present (Part 3)
224-year-old Rhode Island General Store Closing
"Lincoln" and Bringing History to Life
Save Our History - Part Two


Historical Odds and Ends
1st Person Trip to the Past Written By Those Who Were There 
The "Average Life Expectancy" Myth
Dinner or Supper?
Do You Believe In Ghosts?
Earliest Sound Recording Known to Man
Four Seasons of Michigan
Historical Information Index
It'll Nearly Be Like A Picture Print By Currier & Ives
It's Only Words...Our Ever-Changing Language
Living The Victorian Life - A Healthier Life
Old Car Festival
Preserving History
Researching History - EXPAND Your Knowledge!
Time-Travel Reversal
Your Links to History


Historical Preservation
Cemetery Walks - A Unique Way To Present Local History
Historical Preservation - Let's Keep It Going
Preserving History
Save Our History - Part Two


History: General
1st Person Trip to the Past Written By Those Who Were There 
A Biblical History of Man's Developments from Ancient Times
A Day Steeped in History...Saturday, April 14, 2012... 
Stop Historical Revisionists By Showing Them The Truth 
Tales of Everyday Life in Menlo Park (or Francis Jehl: A Young Boy's Experience Working at Menlo Park)
Past & Prologue


Holidays

4th of July
How I spent the 4th of July 2013
The Glorious Fourth 2012

Christmas
A Christmas Carol Film Reviews Updated for 2011
A Wonderful Description of Christmas Past, Courtesy of Mr. Charles Dickens
A Christmas Eve Pictorial Through Christmas Past (Revisited)  2013
Christmas 1860 ~~and~~2011
Christmas at Greenfield Village 2010
Christmas at Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit 2012
Christmas Dreaming to Christmas Reality 2010
Christmas is Past - 12th Night's the Last 2011
Christmas Time and Reenacting Go Hand in Hand (Fort Wayne & Greenfield Village) 2009
A Mid-19th Century Christmas Celebration 2012
A Wonderful Description of Christmas Past, Courtesy of Mr. Charles Dickens
All You Have to Do Is Ask: Having an 1860's Christmas celebration
Christmas Celebrations as Described in "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens
Christmas is Coming, the Goose is Getting Fat 2013
Fort Wayne 2012  
Fort Wayne 2013: An Immersion Experience: Christmas at the Fort  
Having a Historic Christmas in My Own Home 
O Christmas Tree - A Family Tradition 2012
Spirits of Christmas Past 2013
This is a Time of Joyfulness, and a Merry Time of Year 2010
Thoughts As The Season Winds Down 2011
Troll the Ancient Yuletide Carol 
Waterloo: Christmas at Waterloo Farm 1861 (2010)
Waterloo: Ghosts of Christmas Past 2011
Waterloo Farm and Historic Fort Wayne 2012 

Hallowe'en
Cemetery Walks - A Unique Way To Present Local History
Hallowe'en

Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving
Zap! You've Been Transported Back in Time to the mid-19th Century...and it's Thanksgiving! What Now?


Ken's Personal History
A Trip to the Cider Mill: Michigan Apples, Cider, and Raspberries
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
Citizens Companion
Having a Historic Christmas in My Own Home
History in School Musings
How One Family Became Living Historians
Living History - One Person's Story
My Grandfather: From Immigrant to Proud American
My Home Away From...er...Wait! My HOME!!
My Passion for History Did Not Begin With Reenacting (or...And How Long Have YOU Been Into History?) 
Our 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration
Reenacting 2011 - January, Get Thee Behind Me!
Solace
This Old House


Living History (and period dress non-reenactments)
(also see Reenactmets: Non-Civil War)
An Afternoon in the Parlor
An Interesting Perspective on Authentic Reenacting
Are You A Reenactor or a Living Historian?
Crossroads Village: An 1860's Village Celebration 
Crossroads Village 2013
Eating Authentically at an Event
Greenfield Village - Opening day 2013
I Believe A Change Is Gonna Come
It Takes A Village - Crossroads Village
Living History - One Person's Story 
Millrace Village 2011
Mourning Practices of the 19th Century (revised)
My Big Fat Shotgun Wedding by "Carrie May"
Picturing the Past 
Reenactors in Tin Types
More Reenactors in Tin Types
Self-Hypnosis + Authenticity + 1st person = Time-Travel
Troy: Civil War Candlelight Tour Meeting 2011
Troy: Historic Village Lantern Tour 2011
Troy Lantern Tour in Historic Troy Village 2013
Waterloo Farms 2010
Waterloo 2011: My Favorite Place To Reenact
Waterloo Farms 2013



Music
Beatles - And Here They Are...The Beatles
Christmas Music - Troll the Ancient Yuletide Carol 
Jump For Joy I'm Telling You It's Hullabaloo!!
Let Me Dig That Jive Once More (Hep! Hep!): In the Age of Big Band, Swing and Sweet - Popular Music of the 1930's and '40's
May 22, 1961
Monterey Pop Festival: Down in Monterey
Music of the Civil War Era – to get you in the mood
My First Venture into Collecting Early Rock and Roll Music (just in case you want to know)
Rock & Roll - Pre-Beatles Rock and Roll
Radio - Another Frivolous Kenny G Rant!
R.I.P. Patty Andrews of the Andrews Sisters - The End of an Era
Simply Dickens - A Period Music Vocal Group



Opinion / Thoughts / Ideas on Historical Reenactments and History
Authentic Reenacting
Are You a 9 to 5 Reenactor?
Are You A Reenactor or a Living Historian?
Camping vs Motel Militia
Civil War Was Then - WWII Is Now
Common Sense
Clothing - The Cost and Satisfaction of Civil War Living History
Dinner or Supper?
Do I Have a Favorite? (and other ramblings about reenacting)
Extreme Reenacting?
Historian: What makes a Historian a Historian (or  Passion for the Past pt. 3)
Historical Perspectives
How One Family Became Living Historians 
Immersion Experience (with a strong dose of Living History)
I Believe A Change Is Gonna Come
Is Nostalgia "Portable"?
Crossroads Village - It Takes A Village
"It's Just A Hobby!"
Living History/Reenacting/Interpreter Laughs
Look Into the Future - How Much of Our Time Will Be Lost?
The Military Needs To Step Up To The Plate As Well
My Passion for History Did Not Begin With Reenacting (or...And How Long Have YOU Been Into History?)
New Year Ramblings...2013
Out of My Mind on Monday Mornin'
Past & Prologue
Past vs The Future
Preserving History
The Public is Here to See You - Please Be Kind
Questions I'd Love To See Answered
Random Historical Thoughts and Commentaries
A Rare Political Post
Reenacting Frustrations 
Reenacting - Taking It Seriously
Researching History - EXPAND Your Knowledge!
Simple Thoughts from a Simple Man...
Stop Historical Revisionists By Showing Them The Truth
The Small Events Need Your Help!
Tales of a Male Civilian Coordinator
Thoughts About Modern Digital Cameras at a Reenactment + Photographs From the Historic Fort Wayne Event
Thoughts of Then vs Now
Three Great Historical Movies You Should See: John Adams, Gods & Generals, and Gettysburg
Time and Again - A Reenactor's Story?
Time-Travel Reversal
Time-Travel: Are We Traveling Through Time and Space...or is it Mind-Travel?
Update: Look Into the Future - How Much of Our Time Will Be Lost?
War is Hell...or Is It?
Who Cares About Boring Old History?

Reenactments: Non-Civil War
Also see "Civil War Reenactments" and "Living History"
Reenacting Early American History


Reenacting: Information
Camping vs Motel Militia
Costume or Period Clothing?
De-farbing Your Campsite
Eating Authentically at an Event
For Social History, Don't Over-look Books Geared Toward the Youth
The Immersion Experience (with a strong dose of Living History)
It'll Nearly Be Like A Picture Print By Currier & Ives
Men's Clothing of the 1860's
The Public is Here to See You - Please Be Kind
The Satisfaction of Civil War Living History
Self-Hypnosis + Authenticity + 1st person = Time-Travel
Workin' Workin' Workin' Day and Night


Tin Types: Real and Fake
Faces of History: Original Photographs of Revolutionary War Vets
Reenactors in Tin Types
More Reenactors in Tin Types


Victorian England
Ragged Victorians - "The Great Unwashed"


WWII Life and Music
A Look Back at the WWII Generation
Let Me Dig That Jive Once More (Hep! Hep!): In the Age of Big Band, Swing and Sweet - Popular Music of the 1930's and '40's
R.I.P. Patty Andrews of the Andrews Sisters - The End of an Era





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A Christmas Eve Pictorial Through Christmas Past (Revisited)

Tired of Christmas yet? 
Not me! 
This week's article and photos are taken mostly from a posting from 2012. I added a few new photos and took some away, I added new commentary to the pictures, and, generally, updated it to 2013.
As this is being posted on December 24, I wish you all the Merriest of Christmases.

As you know, I try to replicate the days of old through my reenacting of the Civil War era as often as time will allow. I've been lucky that it's been quite frequently. I also visit historic homes every chance I get, whether in a town setting such as Greenfield Village or a single free standing structure owned by the local historical society.
However, it's at Christmas time that these homes really shine. Especially when the curator has done their research and knows how to decorate authentically.
I thought for this Christmas week's posting I would show you a few photos that I took of decorated Victorian homes which may help to give you a bit of Christmas spirit. I have made the attempt myself to bring Christmas past into my own home, and a few of those pictures are here as well.
I'm not going to go into too much depth here into the history of each decoration, but I would like to present a snippet of Christmas past to whet the appetite of those who enjoy celebrating this special day and season.
Also included are other Victorian pictures that, to me, evoke the spirit of Christmases long, long ago - a show and tell of sorts. I hope you enjoy it.

Let's begin with the Crocker House Museum in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, run by Kim Parr. Ms. Parr is well-known locally (and not so locally) for her social history knowledge of the mid-to-late Victorian era. A number of years ago she was the 'house lead' at Greenfield Village's Firestone Farm and also began the mourning program at the Adams House there as well, which still runs annually over Memorial Weekend. Kim is now in charge of the Crocker House Museum, an Italianate home built in 1869, where she continuously keeps the house's history at the community forefront by holding historical teas, having guest speakers, and, of course, her infamous cemetery walks where she shows the house as it would have looked 'dressed' in mourning. Christmas, however, brightens the place like no other season. In fact, Kim has each room showing a different Christmas scene:

The 1869 Crocker House in Mt. Clemens, Michigan

From the sitting room with the large tree...

 ...to the parlor with the feather tree...

Decorating the feather tree in preparation for Christmas Day.

...and then to the dining room where the table is set for a feast!

Okay, I don't care for the mannequins either, but try to look beyond that bit of kitsch and notice the beauty of the holiday season in this nearly 150 year old home. Kim and her helpers do a fine job in bringing the ghosts of Christmas past to life at Crocker House. Plus, well, there's one photo with some real live Victorian-type ladies as well!


Next I'd like to bring you to my favorite place of solace, Greenfield Village, where, back in the early to mid-20th century auto-magnet Henry Ford collected homes from the 18th & 19th centuries like some people collect stamps! He had them transferred to land he owned in Dearborn, Michigan and made a historical Village like no one's ever seen before.  Being an internationally known open-air museum - on par with Colonial Williamsburg - you know the curators of Greenfield Village have done their research, and it shows.

This is the doorway to the 1822 home of Noah Webster and his wife Rebecca

The tasteful light Christmas greenery shows how Rebecca Webster may have decorated her home. Being of a religious nature, the Websters would not have gone to too much an extreme at Christmas time. Of course, during their time, most folks did not go to any great extreme for Christmas. Yes, that's her husband, Noah, in the painting above the mantel.

Next let's travel to the 1860's Susquehanna Plantation. I just love the front porch of this home, which was originally located in Maryland.

Here is the fireplace mantel in the parlor of the Susquehanna House. Christmas can't be far away.

What a magnificent spread of food in the dining room for the Holiday visitors!

Here is a closer look at the extravagance that a wealthy family can share with their family and friends. 

From Maryland we'll travel to Dearborn to the birth home of Henry Ford.

The garland encircling the door is a welcoming sight.

A patriotic Christmas in that centennial year of 1876.

Look at all of these wonderful desserts!

The Ford sitting room fireplace mantel is probably my favorite decorative mantel in all of Greenfield Village.

From Dearborn we head west on the old Chicago Road to a tiny village named Clinton, where we find a stage coach stop that was built in 1831.

The Eagle Tavern is a fine place to dine on historical food such as what one would have eaten had they lived in Michigan in 1850. Each dish is prepared according to the season of the year. Notice the snow flurries - helping to give us that Christmas-y feeling!

My daughter waits patiently for her fare.

The Eagle Tavern truly gives one that feeling of being "there" - back in the mid-19th century.

Yes, for Christmas I brought out my fine quality top hat.

The Eagle Tavern near the church: Christmas Eve...

Traveling farther west on the old Chicago Road, we come across the birthplace of newspaper columnist George Matthew Adams, which is decked out in the style of the 1870's.
Take a good look at the photos of this home, because Greenfield Village, for the first time since this house was brought here in the late 1930's and restored to the time of George Adam's youth in the 1870's, is going to bring the house back to its original look of around 1840. I'm personally excited about this because, aside from the Eagle Tavern, the pre-Civil War Victorian era is sorely overlooked in the Village.

Welcome to the home of the Adams Family (no! Not THAT Adams family!), built in Saline, Michigan in 1833

The ladies of the Adams House prepare for the family coming to celebrate Christmas

What a fine Christmas Tree the Adams set up. During the mid-19th century, decorating the Christmas Tree was also called "Dressing the Tree."

Now we'll jump from Saline, Michigan to Columbiana, Ohio, to the birthplace and family home of Harvey Firestone.
It's unfortunate that this house is no longer part of the Christmas festivities of Greenfield Village. We have high hopes that one day Christmas will return once again to Firestone Farm. In the meantime, I have plenty of photos from when this most joyous of Holidays was celebrated here.

Here we are at Firestone Farm, originally built in 1828 and updated in 1882, all decked out for Christmas!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...On a cold December's day, sitting near the hearth of the fireplace is the only place to be!

The Firestone parlor: Can you hear the strains of "Silent Night" coming from the pump organ? It was what the young lady was playing when I took this picture. It sounded beautiful. By the way, using the American flag in this manner was not only acceptable but encouraged, for it showed that you were a patriotic citizen of the United States.

A finer Christmas dinner you shan't find elsewhere.

And the dining room table is bedecked with the delectable delights of homemade desserts!

Now we'll head over to Canada to the hone of the grandparents of Thomas Edison, though rather than being decked for the Holidays of the 1830's when it was built, it's been decided to show Christmas in the earlier part of the 20th century, more specifically, 1915.

Here I am with my friend Heidi at the home of the grandparents of Thomas Edison, built in sections beginning in 1833. For Christmas they show the year 1915.

Holiday greenery criss-crosses the sitting room ceiling.

A festive atmosphere reigns in the Edison home. Note the feather tree on the table, still popular after the turn of the 20th century.

Just look at that dessert table!

Off to New Jersey - just a quick jaunt from Thomas Edison's invention factory - we'll visit the Sarah Jordan Boarding House from the 1870's.

The 1870's boarding house of Sarah Jordan also has a Christmas celebration for her boarding customers who are far from home.

Wait - what's that? Why, it's another feather tree!

Heading back to Ohio - this time Dayton - we come across the home of Wilbur and Orville Wright, all ready for the big day!.

I wish I had a porch to decorate like this!

Though the house was built in 1871, the inside of the Wright Home tells us the year presented is 1903, the same year the brothers made the world's first true airplane flight.

Yep - I want a staircase, too, if, for no other reason than to decorate like this! Orville and Wilbur built this staircase.

SHOPPING BREAK!

Shopping on Main Street

Let's head to a more rural part of Michigan, out near Jackson in a little area known as Waterloo, where Christmas is held at an 1880's farming complex once owned by the Realy family.

Every year a few of us that do living history will "take over" the farmhouse and bring the past to life for the visitors that tour the home. We'll practice a combination of 1st and 3rd person as the folks walk through and that seems to draw them into our time-travel experience.

Welcome to the 1880 Realy Farm House in Waterloo, Michigan

A peak in the front window shows the Realy's are preparing for Christmas from the outside looking in...

...and from the inside looking out! They did a wonderful job here, don't you think?

Like many homes in the 19th century, as you've seen in many of the photos previous, a feather tree - made of real goose feathers - adds the perfect Victorian touch.

The same feather tree from a different year "dressed" in a slightly different style.

Here we are, ready to become the ghosts of Christmas past. Note the roping on the door behind.

Near the farmhouse is a replica 1840's log cabin. The front door of this cabin is decked as best as a pioneer could for what means they may have had.  Yes, pioneers did what they could to celebrate the Christmas Holiday, even with a little greenery on the door.

Inside the cabin, a grand Christmas Tree, no doubt cut from the forest behind, stands ready to greet Santa Claus. It is decorated with whatever ornaments they could make with what little they had. Even dried fruit was used to add color. And the fruit could be eaten come Christmas Day!

Christmas in a log cabin gives as cozy a Christmas look as one could have!

I have always loved the look and feel of the Victorian Christmas and envied not only the historical home curators that were given the opportunity to decorate in such a way, but our ancestors who actually lived 'back then." So I studied their manner and style and tried to replicate it in my own 1944 bungalow. Crazy, huh? Well, I believe I made it work. But, at first it was a more subtle version of higher-end mall decor. Then I began to pay closer attention to what I saw in these historic homes rather than what the stores told me was Victorian.
So I began to find and purchase more period-correct decorations - some replicas and a few originals.
It just takes a little at a time and patience, you know?
So here are a few Christmas photos in my own home:

Here is a close up of our fireplace mantel.

Fruit was a welcome gift at Christmas, and apples, oranges, pears, even pineapples were a big treat for our Victorian ancestors.

Notice the little guy sitting near the bottom right of the hearth. Yep, it's our Cricket on the Hearth, taken from the lesser known Charles Dickens Christmas tale that was written in 1845. Finding a cricket on the hearth is supposed to bring good luck and fortune to all who dwell in the house.

Stealing ideas from numerous historical homes is how I came up with our mid-to-late Victorian Christmas decor. Understand, the fire you see in the fireplace is not real. I did a little trickery on this photo and "stole" the fire and firebox from the Firestone Farm fireplace by way of Paint Shop Pro. The fireplace in my house is only an electric heater with no flame and is not the real deal - but it has a fine look to it and keeps our room toasty! Everything else in my photos are as you see them - mostly authentic antiques.

For some reason, candles and oil lamps seem to present the perfect Christmas lighting, adding greatly to the whole ambiance of the room. A feather tree tops off the period look.

I know that many people think I'm a bit off my rocker for what I do. Most guys are not into this sort of thing. I don't care - ever since I was a child I wanted to have a Christmas like I do today. It's my dream come true.

Here you go! Candle and oil lamp lit!

Speaking of candles...yes, this is our 2012 Christmas Tree and, yes, it is candle lit. We have been lighting the candles on our tree every year for 27 years. Believe me when I say we take all precautions to squelch any danger. Great care is taken that there should be a clear space above each wick, that nothing might catch fire.

The following photos are from our 2013 Christmas Tree - -

A candle lit tree is as beautiful as the old descriptions state.

In the old days, our ancestors did not light the candles and then allowed them to burn for hours and left the tree unattended as our Hollywood historians would have us believe; our candles are only lit for 5 to 10 minutes - the same as in the days of old - and are never left unattended.

All of that glorious candle lit beauty was contained in only a few minutes time, usually on Christmas night. Not at all like our modern day where we put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving and keep the electric lights lit daily from then til January 6th. On the night I took this picture, I had a number of friends over who had never seen a candle lit tree in person. They were awed.

Off to Philadelphia - - - - really?

Merry Christmas from Independence Hall! No, not really. This is actually a replica of that most important of all historical American buildings - this one stands in Dearborn, Michigan. You are looking at the main entrance way into the Henry Ford Museum, which is adjacent to Greenfield Village. Henry Ford built it to exact original specs. Pretty amazing, huh? And, yes, it is decorated for Christmas...

You may think this decor is very colonial in nature on the replica Independence Hall facade, but the colonials did not decorate in this nature. According to one of my favorite sites (History Myths Debunked), this form of decorating was a myth.

"The idea of decorating the doors with rare fresh fruit where it would hang until it rotted or was eaten by squirrels would have horrified everyone in colonial America, no matter how wealthy they were. Fresh fruit was rare to nonexistent during the winter and if one were fortunate enough to have some imported oranges from the Caribbean or late apples from New England, one ate them."

Again, from the History MythsDebunked:

“This myth originated with the DellaRobbia-style decorating that began in Williamsburg in the 1930s (when the town was being restored with Rockefeller money) as a compromise with its residents. As far as we can tell, colonists did not decorate the outside of their houses at all, but Americans in the 1930s most certainly did, and Williamsburg residents were not happy to be told that authenticity demanded they forego all Christmas decorations. Nor did the Colonial Williamsburg executives relish the thought of blinking colored lights and reindeer glowing from the rooftops of the restored town. It was decided to encourage natural decoration with materials that would have been available to the colonists, such as greenery, dried seed pods, fruit, pinecones, gourds, oyster shells, and so forth. But no matter how often Foundation executives stressed that this was NOT a colonial decorating method but a modern-day compromise, the erroneous impression spread.”

A Christmas greens lot is set up outside the museum front. As you can see, all is very traditional to Victorian style greenery, giving those walking past some Christmas 'dash' as they enter Greenfield Village. Though the fruit on the building may not be accurate, it still has that pseudo-colonial feel.

Now, if you've read my other 2013 Christmas postings, you may think you've already seen the following pictures.
Not so.
Although they may be similar, they have not been posted here before.

This picture was taken at what has become my very favorite Christmas presentation, Christmas at the Fort. Here we see Andrea decorating the porch of "our" home with greenery.

During our immersion experience we had the distinct opportunity and pleasure to continue life in 1863 while we ate our Christmas meal. The feeling one gets while eating a Christmas dinner in a period dining room lit only by oil lamps is, well, unexplainable. We were there...in 1863. That, too, is unexplainable.

Off to Mill Race Village and into the general store where we find very rural country-style Christmas shopping awaiting us.

Across the road from the general store is the 1831 Cady in from Northville, Michigan. The snowstorm we were in the midst of gave us that very Christmas feeling.

Speaking of the old-time Christmas feeling, that's exactly what I had as I made my way through the snow-covered roads of Mill Race Village.

Brrrr! After all of this, I believe it's time for us to throw another log on the fire and sit as close to the hearth as we can to warm our nose and toes.

And this is where we'll end, right here with an original Christmas print by Winslow Homer from the December 24, 1859 edition of Harper's Weekly:

I hope you enjoyed this little journey through Christmas Past. I have been very bless'd to have a wife who shares my historical passions and allows me to not only visit the past (and, at times, joins me while doing so!), but to bring it to our own home.
And if I gave you any ideas on decorating your home in a period style, well, then my little plan worked!
Merry Christmas.







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