What did a Greenbelt holiday season look like in the town’s early years? The families had just moved into their shiny new government-built homes. How did they decorate? We know from our oral histories and photographs that people used whatever they had available. A quote from early resident Cassie Mae Stone Snow: “My mama would go to the woods near our court and gather ground cedar to make into beautiful wreaths for us and some of our neighbors.” Despite the lean times, many families did have Christmas trees, and they hung stockings and sent holiday cards. A visit to the museum shows examples of these festive items. The dining table is set with cream-colored Fiestaware and holiday greenery atop a vintage tablecloth depicting a snowy scene. Another much beloved tradition, especially for Greenbelt children, took place after the Christmas holiday. As Greenbelt pioneer Marty Madden recalls, “Every year on a Friday night in January, not too long after Christmas, they used to give a free ticket to the movie to every kid who would bring the family tree down to Braden Field. We’d hand in our trees and they’d give us our tickets, and that evening there’d be a big bonfire.” (From Greenbelt 50th Anniversary oral history, August 1987, available at Museum.) Each year, museum staff decorates the Greenbelt Museum’s Historic House to bring to life the atmosphere of holidays past. In addition to Christmas decorations from the late 1930s through the 1950s, we also have a menorah on display, highlighting that early Greenbelt was integrated in terms of religion. The intent of the planners was that residents would be 70 percent Protestant, 30 percent Catholic and seven percent Jewish. Anybody interested to discover these things and more may visit the Greenbelt Museum Historic House at 10-B Crescent Road immediately after the city tree lighting on Friday, December 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. All are invited to see Deco the Halls, an exhibit of art deco and vintage holiday decorations. Visitors to Deco the Halls may take a quick, free tour of the house, get a sense of how the holidays were celebrated not only in the 1930s but also in the 1940s, and take in how the house sparkles and glows at night. The Historic House gift shop will be open for guests to peruse freshly stocked, new holiday merchandise. The Greenbelt Museum will also participate in Greenbelt’s Festival of Lights juried art and craft fair at which guests may find the perfect gift for that special someone. The fair provides an opportunity to shop small and shop local. The museum will stock tables full of vintage inspired toys, books, cards and an anxiously awaited new Cat’s Meow wooden building depicting an original brick house. There also will be an updated version of 10-B Crescent, the museum house. The fair takes place Saturday, December 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Community Center gym and other showcase rooms.
Find Pioneer Seasonal Décor At Museum and Craft Fair
Boys haul a freshly cut tree through the snow in early Greenbelt