“And it was always said of him (Ebenezer Scrooge), that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!” ~Charles Dickens, from A Christmas Carol 1843
A prime opportunity to “keep Christmas well” is by immersing yourself in a traditional Victorian Christmas in the heart of Jacksonville, where the spirit is alive and thriving. Community caroling and the annual tree lighting officially launch the season on Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pm. That’s when an old-fashioned Christmas celebration starts in the shops and on the streets of the town and when it breaks out in lights, evergreen swags, song and good cheer. As it happens to be Shop Small Saturday, most of the shopkeepers will remain open until 8:00pm, giving revelers time to fulfill their Santa lists and support local small businesses in the bargain. The following Saturday morning, December 7 at 10:00, come snow or shine, a Christmas parade makes its way along California Street with Father Christmas as guest of honor.
Carolers, some in period costume, stroll the streets, and Back in Time Wagon Rides runs short loops around a portion of town.
Have your picture taken with Father Christmas for free on weekends from December 7-22. Father Christmas arrives during the tree lighting ceremony. This year he’ll be posing and hearing gift requests at a new location in the Dan McGeorge Photo Gallery at 155 N. 3rd St.
Charles Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, didn’t launch the Victorian version of Christmas, but is credited with helping to spread the traditions. Its themes of family, charity, and goodwill, encapsulate the spirit of how they celebrated the holiday during Victorian times, and are very much a part of the Christmases we enjoy. In present day, nowhere is this more evident than in Jacksonville, which celebrated its own beginnings just as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert began setting a new standard in England.
Many of our most beloved traditions originated with the royal couple and other European countries. An excellent source of history about our Christmas tree, Christmas cards, Santa Claus, and the elusive but lucky German pickle ornament, may be discovered during a tour of the historic Beekman House. Located at 425 E. California St., costumed docents will offer $5 tours from 11:00am-3:00pm on each of four weekends. Tours last between 45 minutes to an hour beginning every fifteen minutes. “We’ll have the house decorated as a Victorian house in the 19th century as it was decorated for Christmas,” Carolyn Kingsnorth of Historic Jacksonville, Inc. shared with me. “Before Dicken’s Christmas Carol it (Christmas) wasn’t even necessarily a day off.” No wonder it was such a big deal for Bob Cratchit to finagle the day for himself and his family. She added, “We will also have Mrs. Beekman’s sugar cookies we hand out…they’re made by her recipe. We’ll also have Mrs. Beekman’s Christmas Bazaar where we’ll be offering things for sale, donated by supporters as a fundraiser for the house.” This is held behind the Beekman House in what was originally part of the carriage house. Carolyn continued, “We’ll talk about what they ate for their Christmas dinner. I always love the fact that one of the delicacies was fried celery. You would have the big present opening usually the night before, Christmas Eve. That’s when all of the out-of-town guests arrived. You would have entertainment and everyone was expected to contribute something, whether it was a song or reciting a poem, because you made your own entertainment at the time.”
The Beekman Bank is also open 11:00am-3:00pm each of the four weekends. Visitors have the opportunity to spend as much or as little time as they like venturing behind the counter, peering into the drawers and even spending time in the vault. Beekman’s is the oldest bank in the Pacific Northwest and the first bank north of San Francisco. Costumed docents, knowledgeable about the bank’s history, are on hand to answer all your questions.
Art Presence Art Center, located in the old children’s museum at 206 N. 5th St., will proudly showcase their 6th Annual Angel Show. Formerly held at GoodBean, this is the second year the gallery has hosted the special exhibit. This is a call to artists, so many angels will be made by those who are not members of the gallery. Director, Anne Brooke said, “Last year there were 72 angels gracing our back wall. It was amazing!”
So, join in familiar carols, enjoy a cup of hot spiced cider and mingle with fellow celebrants, young and old, during the most hopeful time of the year, circumstances aside.
And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God bless us, everyone.”
Please see Jacksonville Chamber website for schedule of events: http://jacksonvilleoregon.com/victorian-christmas/