Historic Deerfield ready to celebrate holiday seasonDate: 11/22/2021 DEERFIELD – A famous couple from the North Pole, the Kringles, will visit Historic Deerfield this year, where the holidays smell of sugar cookies, apple cider and the cool menthol of hemlock.
The hemlock wreaths that decorate the famous New England streets are a holiday tradition in their own right, for some families. According to Jesse Vanek, director of development at Historic Deerfield, making the wreaths is a great way to experience the Yuletide season.
“It smells fantastic, like the holidays, with the greenery of the trees and the fruits,” Vanek said. Tables are set up at the Deerfield Community Center, at the corner of Memorial and Main streets, and those who signed up, show up. “We get trees from Kingsbury Tree Farm in South Deerfield and they cut them into boughs. We supply all the boughs, and use only natural ingredients, winterberry, oranges, cranberry, apples."
Over 50 volunteers in four sessions learn to build wreaths to hang on houses, door handles, and the fronts of the Deerfield Inn, Hall’s Tavern, Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern, and other buildings. Seasoned volunteers help newcomers, and together they make about 60 wreaths, usually two feet across, but also smaller sizes. Hot mulled cider, holiday snacks and cookies keep the sweet tooth satisfied, though volunteers also bring their own goodies.
“It creates a really wonderful afternoon for folks to be together,” Vanek said. “We have volunteers who have been coming for 10, 15, 20 years. It’s part of their holiday tradition. It’s especially fun seeing three generations working on a project, creating those memories.”
The wreaths will be hung on Dec. 2 and remain up until January 2022.
Vanek plainly savors the holiday season in Historic Deerfield. He encouraged visitors to walk the streets and enjoy an active, living New England village. Students from the Bement Academy play in the yards, the smell of fallen leaves is in the chilly air, and later in the season there may be white stuff coming down.
“It makes for a beautiful winter scene, seeing the sunlight sparkling off the roofs and reflecting through the icicles,” Vanek said. “It’s a great place to enjoy winter in New England.”
Maybe that’s why Mr. and Mrs. Kringle will spend extra time hearing holiday wishes at Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern. Between 4 and 6 p.m. on Dec. 5 through 7, and Dec. 13 and 14, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there to hear the wishes of even the most timid boy or girl.
“Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern, that’s right on Old Main Street,” Vanek said. The restaurant will be decorated for the holidays, inviting, warm and fragrant. “Rather than kids standing in a line at the mall, Santa and Mrs. Claus will sit down at each table, share cookies, and hear each child’s wishes.”
Historic Deerfield hosts a number of other attractions for the holidays. The Flynt Center of New England Life, a museum of the Colonial era, will open its attic, a treat for antique fans who get to look at 32,000 artifacts. Virtual and live workshops occur throughout the year, including a class for traditional hearth cooking that will use 18th center techniques, methods and ingredients. Champney’s Inn & Tavern will also hold a favorite sweater event on Dec. 17.
The Flynt Center of New England Life begins its winter schedule on Dec. 1. The museum is open, but the historic houses are not. The wreaths will be hung on Dec. 2. For more information on events and workshops visit https://www.historic-deerfield.org.
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