Atlanta History Center’s Family Program, Holiday Spirit, Highlights Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Season

The Atlanta History Center's annual holiday program, The Holiday Spirit, is filled with family activities that celebrate the season. Holiday crafts, live music, decorations, engaging theatrical performances, and a visit from Saint Nicholas provide fun-filled opportunities for families to create holiday memories.

Featured activities include flights of time travel to explore holidays past at Smith Family Farm and Swan House where guests encounter friendly “spirits” sharing their holiday goings-on during the 1860s and the 1930s.  At Smith Family Farm, guests meet and interact with members of the Smith household and their neighbors, in the year 1863, as they prepare for the holidays and welcome soldiers returning from war on furlough. Demonstrations of blacksmithing, candle-dipping, and open-hearth cooking showcase time-honored traditions of the South. At Swan House, guests observe the holiday decorations and meet the individuals who kept the house running during the busy holiday season of 1933, including the decorator, chauffeur, and maid.

WHAT:              The Holiday Spirit; Atlanta History Center’s annual family holiday program  

WHEN:             Saturday, December 14, 2013; 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

WHERE:           Atlanta History Center; 130 West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30305 

ADMISSION:     This program is free to members; included in the cost of general admission for nonmembers.  Purchase advance tickets online and save. For information about this program or to purchase admission tickets visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Family or call 404.814.4000.

                        Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Atlanta favorite Food Truck vendors.

SUPPORT:       Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts Council. 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: 

Smith Family Farm:

Ongoing activities, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

• Holiday Decorations- The Smith home is adorned with fresh greenery, family stockings hanging from the hearth, and more timeless traditions of 1863.
• Children’s Holiday Craft Activity -- Children can create a traditional 1860s holiday ornament.
• Journeys to Holidays Past – Encounter characters from 1863 holiday past as they demonstrate traditional crafts and skills such as open-hearth cooking and candle-making.  Be sure to visit with soldiers in a Civil War encampment at Smith Family Farm.

         Thomas “Bear” Hale, Blacksmith and Town Gossip

              Meet Bear and learn about the important role of a blacksmith on a 19thcentury farm.  You can also get an earful of what’s going on around town and with the other farmworkers. 

         James “Wash” and Jasper Smith

             Two of the Smith boys help bring on the spirit of the holidays with music and stories.

        Jubi, Enslaved Farmworker

             As Jubi prepares the holiday meal, connect with her struggle to maintain time-honored holiday traditions from Africa while contemplating the hint of freedom that grows with each victory of the Union Army.

Swan House:

Ongoing activities, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

• Holiday Decorations –With period appropriate decorations from the 1930s, the grand tree is adorned with glass ornaments, stockings hang on the family room fireplace, and greenery is placed all around the house.
• Children’s Holiday Craft Activity – Children can create a traditional 1930s holiday ornament with the help of Ruby Ross Wood, the Swan House interior decorator.
• Journey to Holidays Past – Encounter first-hand experiences with characters from 1933 holiday past including the Inman’s chauffer, decorator, and maid.

             Paperboy, 1933 Raconteur

                 Meet the paperboy at Swan House before entering the residence and hear all of the newsworthy holiday headlines of 1933.

             Bina Lockett, Maid and Cook

                  Bina tells you about her many duties as a household maid in a large home, as you help her complete some of her daily kitchen chores. She will share holiday recipes of the 1930s and may even demonstrate one for you before offering a special recipe to take home and try for the family.

            Philip Trammell Shutze, Architect of Swan House

                  Mr. Shutze discusses his design and inspirations for the house as well as his job as an architect and invites you to draw the plans for your own dream house.

           Ruby Ross Wood, Interior Designer of Swan House

                  Consult with Ruby about her vision as a decorator and join her in designing a room on a Depression-era budget as well as discussions of popular holiday décor.

          Grant Carter, Inman Chauffeur and Butler

                   Mr. Carter talks about his family's Christmas traditions, and how they differ from the Inman’s. 

Mable Dorn Reeder Amphitheater:

• Music, Octave – 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm

Atlanta’s favorite female a capella singing group performs holiday favorites. 

Veterans Park:

• Music, 116th Army National Guard Band – 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

The 116th Army Band performs a special set of holiday and patriotic songs. Founded in 1859 in Atlanta’s “Gate City Guard” Georgia Volunteers, Company F, it is the oldest Military National Guard or Reserve Band with service in the War Between the States, Confederate Service 1861-1862, the Mexican Expedition, WWI with the 121st Infantry Division Band, WWII with the 170th Field Artillery Band and the 48th Armor Division. In 1968, the band became an independent organization, known as the 116th Army Band.

Atlanta History Museum:

• Music, Penultimate Measure – 10:30 am and 12:30 pm at Atlanta History Museum Atrium

              Enjoy a festive holiday performance of seasonal music from Decatur First United Methodist Church’s hand bell ensemble.

• Holiday Crafts – Ongoing activity at Exhibition Hallway

               Creativity and fun abound for children using their talents of coloring, drawing, and more.

• Visit with Santa Claus – 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Garden Overlook (Members 2:00 pm - 3 :00 pm)

               Little ones are sure to enjoy a visit with Santa. Be sure to bring your own camera to capture the memory.

• Storyteller, Mama Koku –2:00 pm and 3 :00 pm at Centennial Olympic Games Lobby

               Listen to diverse holiday stories spun to captivate both the young and young at heart. Donna Kokumo Buie (aka. Mama Koku) is a Master Storyteller and children's writer.

• Self-guided Tours – Atlanta History Center's award-winning exhibitions
• Meet the Past: Gallery Character Performances – Character performances bring the stories of the South to life as told in Atlanta History Center’s award-winning exhibitions.

Located in Metropolitan Frontiers 

       Adrienne Herndon, Actor and Educator –12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm

            Fall under the spell of the charming wife of Alonzo Herndon, Atlanta’s first African American millionaire, as she prepares to travel to a holiday reunion with her husband and their son, Norris.

Located in Turning Point: The American Civil War

        Carrie Berry, Diary Keeper – 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 1:00 pm

            Understand the Civil War through the eyes of a small child and experience the hopes and troubles of a ten-year-old girl during the holiday season in wartime Atlanta.

        Nate Baker, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry – 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 3:00 pm

             Join this Union soldier during the holiday season of 1863 as he considers his future as a member of the 54thRegiment, one of the first official African American units in the U.S. Army.  

Members-Only Lounge:

From 1:00 to 3:30 pm, Atlanta History Center members can stop by our special Members-Only Lounge in McElreath Hall for cookie decorating, ornament making, and light refreshments.

• 1:00-2:00 pm:  Special musical performance by Atlanta Carolers
• 2:00-3:00 pm:  A visit from Santa Claus

Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts Council.

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