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THE HOLIDAYS IN PHILADELPHIA: CELEBRATING THEN AND NOW
PHILADELPHIA, November 14, 2000 -- Philadelphians have been celebrating
the holidays for four centuries, and this year you’ll find a great selection
of colonial and Victorian period activities as well as more modern and
multi-cultural celebrations. Here’s a sampling:
- Deck the halls of Elfreth's Alley
. The nation's oldest residential
street dates back to 1702. Its 33 homes are decked out for the holidays, with
an open house and candlelight tour on December 8, from 6 - 8 p.m. Tucked among
hip art galleries, funky coffeehouses and fashionable restaurants, many of the
Alley's 33 houses predate the Constitution.
- View holiday trees at City Hall
. The Second French Empire
architecture is set off by the city's official tree -- a three-story beauty
covered with more than 1,000 shimmering lights and decorations -- officially
lighted this year by Mayor Street on November 29. From the City Hall tower,
look to the east, where 140 smaller holiday trees line the Market Street
shopping district, a nine-block retail strip from City Hall to 6th Street.
City Hall turns 100 in 2001. Self-guided tours of the tower are given every 15
minutes, Monday – Friday, from 9:30 a.m.- 4:15 p.m.
- Take a candlelight tour of the Fairmount Park Mansions
.
Candlelight tours of three Fairmount Park mansions are offered, December 1 –
5, and day tours of seven mansions are offered December 1 – 6. The mansions
are decorated much as they would have been in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Celebrate the trees
... and poinsettias, and holly and other
greenery at A Longwood Gardens Christmas, at Longwood Gardens, November
23 –January 7. Outside, find a spectacular showcase of poinsettias, towering
Christmas trees, and more than 400,000 lights. Indoors, organ sing-alongs and
local choirs entertain in the greenhouse.
- Visit holiday dolls, trains and critters
. At the Brandywine River
Museum, it’s all part of A Brandywine Christmas; which takes center stage
November 24-January 14. You’ll see a display of trees featuring hand-made
critters; ornaments; a Victorian doll house and doll collection; and a model
O-gauge railroad that spans the museum’s entire second floor.
- Discover Presidential yuletides at Winterthur.
A few miles south
of the Brandywine River Museum on Route 1, just over the Delaware border, this
former Dupont estsate presents America’s First Families: Yuletide at
Winterthur 2000, some 15 displays of elegant holiday interiors reflecting the
celebrations of presidents including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington,
Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt and JFK.
- Tour the decorated Fonthill Mansion.
Take a candlelight tour of
the home of visionary Henry Chapman Mercer on December 6, 7, 8. On Sunday,
December 10, Fonthill holds its annual free open house, with hay rides, hot
cider, hot chocolate, Santa Claus and other treats for kids.
Feast Colonial style at City Tavern. The Le
Cirque of its day, City Tavern was by all historical accounts considered the
best restaurant in British North America. Opened in 1774 by a group of 53
prominent Philadelphia businessmen and investors, including Lieutenant Governor
John Penn and several signers of the Declaration of Independence, City Tavern
was the setting for suppers, "as elegant as was ever laid on a
table,'' according to John Adams. Carolers, wassail, Christmas cookies and
special holiday menus mark the season.
- Experience "Black Nativity."
The Freedom Theatre’s
adaptation of the Langston Hughes play, Black Nativity, is a moving
rendition of the Christmas story, told through the eyes of African Americans.
The renovated Freedom Theatre is in the Broad Street mansion that once
belonged to actor Edwin Forrest.
- See the Santas
. Come on, you’re never too old to whisper sweet
nothings in St. Nick’s ear. The Park Hyatt at The Bellevue sponsors a
presentation of Santas from around the world through the ages. See a life-size
Father Christmas (England) and Kris Kringle (Germany). Exhibit runs from
November 24 – December 24, 2000. A Victorian Santa will visit Reading
Terminal Market on December 16 and 23, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Also on those
days, the Mistletones will perform holiday music (10 a.m. to noon on the 16th
and from 2 p.m. on the 23rd .) A festive spirit always prevails at
this historic market, where a mix of local produce, Pennsylvania wares and
foods from the region are sold.
- Ride the Santa Express
. Take a holiday excursion
train round-trip from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia on Sunday, December 10.
Sponsored by the Washington D.C. Chapter of the National Railway Society, the
train will depart D.C. at 9:00am and take Amtrak’s high-speed rail line to
Philadelphia. Along the way, Santa will visit with all the children onboard.
Once in Philadelphia, travelers will have seven-and-a-half hours to explore
the city on their own or on one of three add-on tours. Coach fares are $49 for
adults and $39 for children ages 2-12.
- See the Lord & Taylor light and music show.
Celebrate
Christmas in a blaze of lights at the annual Christmas Light Show at the Grand
Court in Lord & Taylor. The show runs daily from November 24 – December
30 and features more than 100,000 lights, a 60-foot Christmas tree, dancing
waters and computerized figures. The fantastic lights accompany narrations of
Christmas classics. The store’s Grand Organ, the largest pipe organ in the
world, is played twice daily.
Multicultural Celebrations
Philadelphia's diverse population celebrates the holidays in a variety of
ways. Here are a few:
- Celebrate Kwanzaa.
Celebrations take place at the African-American
Museum of Philadephia (AAMP), with storytelling, musical performances, and
other activities. The seven-day celebration, held from December 26 through
January 1, is named after the Swahili word for the first fruits of the
harvest.
- National Museum of American Jewish History.
Being Jewish at
Christmas has become a tradition at the National Museum of American Jewish
History. Refreshments, storytelling, and entertainment fill the museum on
December 26, from Noon - 4 p.m.
- Santa Lucia Festival.
At the American Swedish Museum, a Santa
Lucia Festival carries on a centuries-old tradition on December 9. The
Lucia processions, at 1:30 and 3 p.m., feature children in traditional costume
and Lucia, who wears a white gown and crown of candles. It is followed by Julmarknad,
a traditional Christmas bazaar.
- Polish Christmas Open House.
Complete with a tree decorated with
handmade ornaments, the open house takes place December 9 at the Polish
American Cultural Center Museum. Included are Christmas carols, a visit from
St. Nick, and traditional Polish goodies.
Whether you're downtown, uptown, or in the countryside, a holiday spent in
Philadelphia is sure to glow brightly in your memory.
If You Go:
American Swedish Museum, 1900 Pattison Ave. (215) 389-1776. www.americanswedish.org.
Brandywine River Museum, Route 1., Chadd’s Ford. (610) 388-2700. www.brandywinemuseum.org.
Philadelphia City Hall tours, Broad and Market Sts. (215) 686-2840.
City Tavern, 138 S. Second St. (215) 413-1443. www.citytavern.com.
Black Nativity, Freedom Theatre, 1349 N. Broad St. (215) 978-8497.
Elfreth’s Alley, between Race and Arch and Front and 2nd Streets. (215)
574-0560. www.elfrethsalley.org.
Fairmount Park tours, (215) 684-7926. www.philamuseum.org.
Longwood Gardens, Route 1 (1.5 miles west of Chadds Ford). (610) 388-1000. www.longwoodgardens.org.
Lord & Taylor, 1300 Market St. (215) 241-9000.
National Museum of American Jewish History, 55 N. 5th Street.
(215) 923-3811. www.nmajh.org.
Park Hyatt Philadelphia at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut Streets. (215)
893-1234. www.hyatt.com.
Polish American Cultural Center Museum, (215) 922-1700. www.polishamericancenter.org.
Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Streets. (215) 922-2317. www.readingterminalmarket.org.
Santa Express, Washington, DC Chapter, NRHS, P.O. Box 151, Alexandria, VA.
(703) 273-8440. www.dcnrhs.org.
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation is a non-profit
organization dedicated to generating awareness of a visitation to Philadelphia
and Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. For more information about
travel Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com
or call (888) GO-PHILA.
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Editor’s Note: For additional information and photographs about
Philadelphia holiday events, log onto gophila.com.
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