Live, Learn, Lunch: Christmasses Past

12:00 Light Lunch will be served

12:30 Presentation

Christmas’ Past – A nostalgic look at how we celebrated the holiday
Since colonial times, America has celebrated Christmas, often with a feast and a simple decoration of
evergreens and fruit. The kissing ball was a common colonial festive decoration. Large-scale Christmas
decorations were slow to take hold in England and North America, where even in the mid-1800s, only a
few American homes had Christmas trees. Franklin Pierce was the first president to have a Christmas
tree in the White House in 1853.
Since then, Christmas trees and Christmas decorations have become an important holiday symbol. Real
candles on trees were replaced by electric lights, which became widely available in the early 1900s. Little
villages, initially glittered cardboard candy boxes shaped like little houses, surrounded our Christmas
trees. Ornaments were made in the home and imported from Germany and later Japan. They came in all
types of materials, too. Join us for a 50-minute time travel to an earlier era of family celebration,
remembering Christmas trees, tinsel, ornaments, and how we lit our trees in our nostalgic story of
Christmas past.

Speaker Bio:
John Cilio is a fascinating historical storyteller, author, and researcher who has been captivating
audiences with his tales of the past for over 15 years. As a proud member of the Organization of
American Historians and the Association for the Study of Connecticut History, and the Connecticut
League of Museums. John has shared his knowledge through numerous articles in national magazines
and newspapers. Through his captivating storytelling and in-depth research, John Cilio continues to
inspire and educate. Prepare to be transported through time and experience history through period
stories and vintage photographs.

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