Olde Fashioned Christmas at Pioneer Park

On Saturday, Grace and Liam went to a friend's birthday party and some of the party was spent at the Olde Fashioned Christmas at Pioneer Park.  I had heard about it and really wanted to go, so Sam and I tagged along, too.  It was so much fun and something I definitely plan on making a Christmas tradition for our family.

Pioneer Park is full of authentic pioneer cabins from all over the county that have all been decorated in themes and have antiques and other collections on display.  For Christmas, the heritage society goes all out decorating the cabins and you can go to each one for a special craft or activity that the pioneers might have done.  There are volunteers dressed in period costumes helping and teaching at each one.  It was very cool.

The first stop was the schoolhouse, where the kids sat at the old desks and wrote a letter to Santa.

Then we walked next door to the post office to mail their letters.

We got to make stamped Christmas cards at the printing cabin, which had an authentic linotype printing machine.  We also visited the general store and pharmacy, where Sam spotted an antique wheelchair and shouted, "Look!  It's just like Nana and Papa's!"  I felt like I needed to explain to the lady that my parents have an antique wheelchair as furniture, so she didn't jump to the conclusion that Sam's grandparents are spooky ghosts that haunt us in their 1800's-era wheelchair because they want us to find the murderer who chopped off their legs at the knee, causing them to never be properly at rest.

We visited the old barn and the Percherons who live there. (Horse-boy Sam loved this part)  Then we went to a home where we got to learn a reel dance.

Sam claimed to be "too shy" to dance and chose to hang out by the freaky-faced doll display.

Here are all the party-goers, all kids from church.

The peace sign fingers are starting to show up in every picture with these two.

In the kitchen of this house, the kids got to peel apples with an old peeler and eat them.  They also got to watch ladies making applesauce with them over a vintage stove.  It smelled so good!

Then we saw Santa!!  And these guys didn't even try to charge us $40 a picture, in fact, no professional photographers were there even taking them!!  Parents could just take their own - what a novel idea!

Sam asked for a horse.

Liam asked Santa for a surprise.  But I peeked at the letter he wrote in the schoolhouse and he had written, "Dear Santa, My mom doesn't want me to get one, but I really really want a Wii....  or just a surprise I guess."

Grace also asked for a surprise.

Peace out in the pioneer kids' bedroom.

Birthday girl Grace and my Grace stringing cranberries and popcorn in the granary.  They also got to grind corn and wheat there.  See the concentration on Liam's face.  He gets this look from me - I do the same thing when I play the piano.  It's not as cute on me.

In the pioneer chapel, there was a man playing a guitar and leading us in Christmas songs.  

Singing "Jingle Bells."

After hot cider and cookies, we went on a horse-drawn wagon ride around the block and sang Christmas songs.  (Dad - the horses were spotted drafts.)

It was a really fun night for all of us!