In article <[log in to unmask]>, "M. A. van Balgooy"
<[log in to unmask]> says:
>
>
>Having coordinated Christmas events in an historic house for years in
>California and talking with colleagues about it as well, I think our
>greatest concern has been authenticity.  Visitors tend to expect a
>fairly elaborate Christmas celebration, no matter what century or
>location it takes,

Amen!  You should have seen the reaction visitors had to our austere
World War II-era Christmas.  They were so disappointed that we didn't have
a huge tree in our period parlor, with lots of spiffy presents underneath.

Although we tried to use the opportunity to teach a little bit about the
homefront during the war, very few people took time to read the labels,
and even fewer understood.  I thought that we had done something worth-
while, but the point was largely lost on visitors.

Claudia J. Nicholson
Curator of Collections
Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society
Pierre

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