Before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here and the holidays will be in full swing here at the Alice! We couldn't have been more delighted with the response to our holiday programs last year, and hope that you will return for another dose of Christmas cheer. This year, we will be bringing back some old favorites and adding some new programs in response to suggestions we got in 2023.
The festivities will begin the day after Thanksgiving with our Holiday Open House, when all are invited to drop by to see the museum decorations and have a sweet treat. As is traditional, the family-friendly Holiday Ornament Workshop will take place on the first Saturday of December at the Miner Institute's Burke Education & Research Center. This will be our 10th in-person ornament workshop and we're excited to bring you some brand-new holiday craft ideas this year! We will also be offering three evening craft programs. In addition to Rick and Priscilla Laurin's always-popular centerpiece workshop, the Alice will host a wreath-making program and a class on making a Christmas tree from a recycled book.
Candlelight tours will be returning, and this year our theme will be Washington Irving's "Old Christmas." As we tour the museum, we'll talk about how author (and native New Yorker) Washington Irving helped to introduce Americans to both Santa Claus and traditional English Christmas customs in the early 19th century, and how the Miners carried on Irving's ideas about hospitality and generosity in the 20th century. The tour will conclude with refreshments in the ballroom. We've added a late-afternoon tour option for those who prefer not to head out after dark!
Also on the schedule for this December are a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, an evening social with wine and hors d'oeuvres, and a performance by the After Five Brass Quintet. In addition to these special programs, the museum will be open for tours Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, until December 21 (note that we will occasionally close early to prepare for evening events; these changes will be announced here and on our Facebook page).
Because of space constraints, some of our holiday programs have attendance limits and will require advance registration. A full schedule will be posted later this month and registration will open in November, so you'll have plenty of time to plan your holiday calendar! In the meantime, if you have any questions (or would like to get involved behind the scenes!) drop us a line at contact@minermuseum.org.
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