The Silver City Museum will celebrate the holidays with its annual Victorian Christmas open house on Thursday, December 12, from 5:00-8:00pm. Presented in the sharing spirit of bygone community celebrations, this cherished event makes the most of the Museum’s Victorian home.

Decorations, costumed characters, activities, and entertainment will transport guests to Christmas Past, when the Ailman family built the house in 1881. As in past years, musical guests will perform holiday and other traditional music, Christmas cookies and warm spiced cider will be served in the kitchen, and children can participate in fun holiday activities and visit with Father Christmas. There will even be a puppet show in the Dodge Gallery, The Gingerbread Guy. And of course the museum’s various exhibits will be open for all to enjoy.

Costumes are highly encouraged, and we are excited to announce that fabulous downtown clothing shop Vintage Fantasies is offering 20% off all Victorian garb (now through Feb. 15, 2020). Costume-savvy owner Patsy Madrid can guide you on your journey to the perfect outfit. Patsy is the sole arbiter of which clothing qualifies for the discount.

We will bring back the popular Scrooge’s Exchange, a celebration of community giving and holiday surprise. Visitors are encouraged to bring a small wrapped gift to put under the tree, and to take one in exchange. This holiday grab bag is named for Ebenezer Scrooge, the famous character from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, a classic of Victorian literature in which the miserly Scrooge learns generosity. Forgot a gift? No problem, gifts can be purchased and wrapped on the spot at the Museum Store. Children can even participate using the Victorian ornaments they make at the event! The Museum asks that no gift cost more than $10. “From” labels will be provided, so you may even connect with your giver or giftee!

Musical entertainment will be provided by Joe Neri at 5:30, Danny Cordova at 6:00, Moonshine at 6:30, Concert Band of the Southwest at 7:00, and Silver Chorale at 7:30. Our emcee for the evening will once again be Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol.

The Museum Store will be open and stocked with gifts for all ages, sold tax-free with wrapping included. Museum Society Members can take advantage of their one-time holiday discount of 20%. There will be a membership and volunteer table for visitors to become members and learn about volunteer opportunities. 

Generous sponsorship by First American Bank and Finn’s Gallery will allow the museum to offer this celebration for free to the community. Much time, labor, cookies, and entertainment are donated by generous volunteers to make Victorian Christmas special. To be a volunteer or cookie donor, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Jo Lutz at VolunteerCoordinator@SilverCityMuseum.org or 575-597-0229.

The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching and interpreting the region’s unique history.  For information, please contact the Museum at (575) 538-5921, info@silvercitymuseum.org or go to the Museum’s website www.silvercitymuseum.org

Silver Chorale performs in the parlor for Victorian Christmas 2018. Dominic Rasmussen on the left emceed the program as Tiny Tim. Both will be returning this year. Silver Chorale has grown and will be performing in the larger and more resonant Dodge Gallery, for an even grander choral sound. A newly added puppet show will be in the Dodge Gallery earlier in the evening.