Christmas Traditions at Our Pioneer Village

When Garrett and I first moved to our town, we joined the local historical society. We would like to eventually do some research on our old farmhouse in their archives and see if we can learn more about the surrounding area. A few times a year they hold special events at the local pioneer village and earlier this week they hosted an Old Fashioned Christmas. We’ve been to the Christmas displays at Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto and have always loved seeing the holiday traditions from long ago, so this seemed like a fun date night to get us in the festive spirit.

The whole village was done up with lights and decorations. I used to come here all the time for school trips as a kid and I loved being able to show Garrett around.

The schoolhouse was open with crafts for kids and music playing.

Inside the church they’d dressed up the pews with handmade decorations.

The big house was the star of the show with the whole house lit up with decorations and full of merrymakers inside.

The tree was done up with, ribbons, garland and candles, with brown paper packages and bright oranges tucked underneath.

The volunteers dressed up in traditional clothes to greet visitors in the foyer.

We could hear music coming from upstairs and were delighted to find the local brass band playing some holiday favourites. It reminded me of the years I played coronet in the school band for our local parades.

The log cabin in the village is the former home of a family friend’s ancestors.

It was hard to imagine how they spent harsh Canadian winters stuck inside such small rooms, but it was quite cozy.

I love the rustic charm of the wooden china cabinet and the pull down light reminds me of the one at a friend’s home.

The kitchens of the homes all had stoves burning for guests to keep warm, with apple cider, hot chocolate, gingerbread and sugar cookies to enjoy.

This house is originally from our neighbourhood and was built 30 years before ours.

It was cool to walk around inside and picture what it would have been like back then.

We also came across this 1905 picture of the town – only two years after our house was built. It really makes me wonder what our place must have been like back then! I’m hoping we can find more older pictures of it.

Our last stop was to the train station. This was always one of my favourite buildings to visit when I was younger, to see the conductor’s office and baggage claim area.

We warmed our hands by the bonfire outside before making our way back home. I could hardly wait to get back to decorate our tree after all this festive fun. I’m still working on the finishing touches around the house, but I hope to share it next week!

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