The Bell Homestead’s annual Candlelight Christmas Celebration is back, once again being held on the first three Saturdays in December.
“Our Candlelight Christmas celebration is an annual event here at the homestead, it gives visitors the chance to see how the Bell family celebrated Christmas,” said curator Brian Wood. “It would have been a rather exciting time of the year because Mr. Bell would come home for the Christmas holidays. As you can imagine, the family was filled with excitement during that time of the year. The homestead is such an important part of this community’s heritage in terms of where the telephone was invented, it is important to honour the family by remembering them at events like this one.”
The Candlelight Christmas celebration events began in the late 90s and have been held annually since, losing one year due to the pandemic.
“A lot of our modern day Christmas traditions have originated back in the 19th century,” Wood said. “These experiences give people a chance to see where their traditions really come from, which is not something you get to do often.”
The experience includes a full tour of the homestead, live music and treats from the kitchen and storage room.
“One of my favourite parts is that the homestead is lit by a number of original oil lamps and candles,” he said. “We are also excited to share that our historic kitchen will be up and running during each of these events.”
The event is family friendly and welcomes visitors of all ages to experience the past within the present.
“Admission to the homestead during these events is by donation only,” Wood said. “As always it is best to pre-book if we have time available, it’s a safe bet to be prepared. It does tend to be a more popular event, so we do not want anybody missing out on the experience.”
Those interested in attending the event can call the homestead directly to book a slot ahead of time. The events fall on December 3, 10 and 17, with guided tours going out hourly from five to eight o’clock.
