Christmas in July Lecture/Tour Series Announced

Topics have been selected and plans have been finalized for our first Christmas in July lecture series. Each lecture will be followed by a guided tour of National Christmas Center.

Tickets are $12 for first lecture/tour, discounts are available to persons attending multiple lectures (each additional lecture will be an additional $6 per person); advance registration is required. Lectures will be held on site at the Cafe at National Christmas Center, 3427 Lincoln Hwy. (Rt. 30), Paradise PA (717) 442-7950, www.nationalchristmascenter.com

July 5, 2007
Christmas in July Lecture/Tour Series, Part 1, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
The Rich History of Lancaster’s Pennsylvania-German Christmas


Discover the role Lancaster played in shaping Christmas traditions that soon spread across America. Topics to be covered include Belschnickle, the PA German gift giver who gave us the tradition of giving coal to naughty children, Woolworth's first 5&10 store, famous Christmas carols written in Pennsylvania, the evolution of the Christmas garden - from Moravian putz to electric trains under the tree, and more. A guided tour of National Christmas Center will follow the lecture.

July 12, 2007
Christmas in July Lecture Series, Part 2, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
The Amazing Technicolor Santa


A presentation of the many faces and images of Santa Claus. View the first image of Santa from a woodcut circa 1810. We'll show rare early images of the 1830’s – 1850’s and you'll learn how Thomas Nast started a lineage that developed into the Santa we know today. A guided tour of National Christmas Center will follow the lecture.

July 19, 2007
Christmas in July Lecture/Tour Series, Part 3, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
The Memories of Christmas – 100 years of Christmas images


Christmas is memories: family, friends, and traditions. See and hear of how families celebrated Christmas through the decades. View images from the extensive archives of National Christmas Center. A guided tour of National Christmas Center will follow the lecture.

Teacher In-service opportunity

We have been invited by the Lancaster Heritage Center to co-host an Act 48 teacher in-service day presentation focusing on the rich history of Lancaster's Christmases. Participants would attend a 3-hour symposium at the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum, break for lunch, then proceed to National Christmas Center for a guided tour. A hands-on activity is planned, centering on turn-of-the-century handmade Christmas decorations which can be easily replicated in the classroom.

Contact Joe Giovannetti at the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum for more information.


UPDATE: SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A Pennsylvania Christmas: The Local History of a Holiday
9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Appropriate Audience: Educators of grades 1-12

Instructors: Jim Morrison, Curator, National Christmas Center; Joe Giovannetti, B.A.
Limit of 25 participants
Cost: FREE
Act 48 hours: 5

Locations: Yeates House Education Center; National Christmas Center, Paradise, PA

Christmas in July?! It's a great time to start planning your seasonal class visits to the Quilt & Textile Museum's second annual A Lancaster Christmas exhibit (scheduled to open November 2, 2007) and National Christmas Center in Paradise, PA. In the morning, you'll be acquainted with the QTM exhibit, learn the history of local Christmas customs and traditions from colonial times onward, and explore creative ways to integrate the local history of Christmas into your standards-based curriculum. In the afternoon, the workshop will reconvene at National Christmas Center where, following a light lunch, you will be given a guided tour of this one-of-a-kind museum by Christmas historian Jim Morrison. (Lunch will be available for purchase at National Christmas Center. Transportation to the NCC is not provided. You will be given printed directions during the morning session.)