Ringing in the holiday season at The Newberry Museum

There is a quote from “A Christmas Carol” that reads, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

As a child, no Christmas season was complete in my household without a festive reading of “A Christmas Carol.” This classic tale of greed, re-evaluation of the self, and “the true meaning of Christmas” is one that both enchanted and terrified me, and continues to do so in some ways.

Even though Scrooge puzzled me in my younger years, it has been hard not to fall into an Ebenezer-esque mindset during the trials and tribulations that 2020 has delivered to us all. However, the holiday season is among us, and Newberrians are working together to bring Christmas spirit to all who wish to take part in it.

The Newberry Museum is choosing to step into the festive fun this year by showcasing our newly acquired Dickens Village. This Christmas Village features snowfallen London as the backdrop, highlighting mainstays of the Dickens novel including Fezziwig’s workplace, The Horse and Hounds Pub, and even Ebenezer himself confronting the ghosts that pay him a visit.

Just like the ghosts that visit Scrooge on the nights leading up to Christmas, the museum endeavors to lead visitors through some of the past traditions that have marked the holiday season here in Newberry by showcasing a few unique artifacts.

Included in this display is an English Ironstone platter, circa 1855, which belonged to Rev. Thaddeus Street Boinest, a Lutheran pastor who served in many churches in Newberry County in the nineteenth century. Also included is a lace cloth used to adorn the sideboard, which served as a wedding present to a Newberry County couple in 1941.

Both of these items represent the concept of Christmas serving as a time of abundance, as referenced in “A Christmas Carol,” but also a time to bring out the good china and place settings in celebration.

To find out more about some specific Newberry holiday traditions, I spoke with museum Curator and Newberry native Ernest Shealy.

Shealy let me know that his most iconic Newberry Christmas memory comes from seeing the lights appear on Main Street each year. He also cites Anderson’s Shoes and The Fashion as having the best festive displays in days of yore.

Shealy also told me about a tradition that no longer exists, but one that was full of cheer. The Garden Clubs would host a gathering in Community Hall, wherein they would serve Russian tea and provide demonstrations regarding how to construct Christmas floral arrangements.

Though the holidays look different this year, certain traditions are standing strong in Newberry: the Christmas tree lighting, “snow” in the park, the Holiday Open House downtown, and a plethora of decorations. These festive offerings are in no doubt due to community collaboration and a dedication to provide a special experience, even in this year of uncertainty.

The ability to come together as a community is something that strikes me as a quintessential Newberry quality. Although we cannot have Christmas every day, the feeling of collaboration and celebration is one that we can, in fact, keep in our hearts all year.