Hawkins House Ready For A White Christmas

The Victorians weren’t the stark people most of us think they were,” says Terrilyn Wendling, curator of collections at the Rogers Historical Museum.

Her proof, she says, is in this year’s holiday decor at the museum’s 1895 Hawkins House.

Debuting at the annual open house on Sunday, the “Winter Wonderland” exhibit is “all about a big party,” Wendling says.

The lady of the house “is decorating for a themed party, an all-white banquet,” she describes, with “lots of glitter, lots of color, lots of bringing the idea of winter and snow inside and making it all sparkle. I can imagine in candlelight it would be beautiful.”

“The sparkle of mica flakes or shiny tinsel added an air of magic to candle-lit rooms and helped dispel the dark winter nights,” agrees Gaye Bland, the museum’s director. “All of the decorations visitors will see come from instructions given in ladies’ magazines dating from 1895 to 1913.”

According to Bland, this year’s Hawkins House tour also looks at “the practical aspects of dealing with winter weather back in the days before toastywarm automobiles and central heating - from carriage robes to stoneware hot water bottles. And, since winter’s frozen ponds and snow-covered hills could offer fun, the tour also will discuss winter sports such as skating and sledding.”

Wendling says even modern decorators might find some of the Victorian decor over the top - like the elaborate double “Santa tree” - but “we’re going to have our batting tree in the back parlor again, because wrapping a tree in batting was a frugal way to do something different. ‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’ isn’t new, either.”

Whats Up, Pages 20 on 11/23/2012

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