ART JOURNEY: Dickens of an American Christmas

ART JOURNEY: Dickens of an American Christmas
By Jorge Jefferds December 7, 2015

Dickens of a Christmas or Dickens of an American Christmas? It doesn't matter. The craft show is celebrated in several areas of the United States, and mainly in the Northeast. Last Saturday, Wellsboro, in Pennsylvania, celebrated its 32nd annual gathering of Christmas fellows. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., food, craft vendors, strolling musicians, singers, dancers, and street-corner thespians spread up and down Main Street transmitting a tradition that was born during Charles Dickens' era. The history recalls images of Victorian architecture as the backdrop when the author walked around the streets of his hometown, Portsmouth, in England, circa 1840. Certainly, A Christmas Carol has been the inspiring novella he wrote for the performance of this celebrations prior to the holidays.

Dickens of a Christmas in Wellsboro, PA (Courtesy image by Tim McBride)

Therefore, in towns where the colonial architecture is carefully preserved as part of the history heritage, Dickens of a Christmas is a mandatory moment for beautiful memories of family Christmases.
In Wellsboro, street food was amazingly home-made. From the typical hot dogs to several kinds of fudges, you could also enjoy candy pop corn, crab meat pie, seafood pizza. Yes, this is not a lie. Santa Claus brought food to everybody's tastes.
Another town that already celebrated its version was Roanoke, VA. They called it a night of lights. Nearly 350 ornaments, decorated last November by children, adorned a 28-foot-tall and 30-foot-wide spruce. The tree was lit up for the first time that night during The Roanoke Times Dickens of a Christmas Event.

For four weekends in the aforementioned month, people invited themselves to the Taubman Museum of Art to decorate ornaments— yarn wrapped around Popsicle sticks and clear orbs stuffed with colorful tissue paper — that hung from the branches of the tree lit up in multicolored lights.

Christmas Tree in Roanoke's Dickens of a Christmas (Courtesy image by the Roanoke Times)

For those who still feel like participating in one of these shows, the celebrations are not over yet. At least, there are two more coming up: one in the south, in Tennessee, and another one in the Amish county, Lancaster, in Pennsylvania.

The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County is performing its version of Dickens of a Christmas between December 12th, and December 13th. They, for example, encourage goers to attend the event to dress in Victorian custom for them to add to the ambiance, as they stroll the streets. As a compensation, they will get the chance to to enter a Dickens Gift Basket Giveaway sponsored by Moe’s BBQ, The Puffy Muffin, Chick-Fil-A, The Honeysuckle, and Roxy and Taz Boutique.
What to expect in this particular celebration:
-Favorite Victorian-era activities will return, including sugar plums and roasted chestnuts being sold on the street. Other food vendors will offer heartier old English fare.
-A variety of musical and dance performances will take place both on the street and on the stage at City Hall.
-Horse-drawn carriage rides, a petting zoo for children, live artisan demonstrations, and more than 70 vendors offering holiday arts and crafts will line Main Street from Second to Fifth Avenues.
-Each day will conclude with a town sing of classic Christmas carols.  Saturday’s town sing will be led by Brandon Heath and Mike & Molly Grayson and will take place in front of the stage on the Public Square; Sunday’s town sing will be conducted inside the Historic Presbyterian Church at Five Points.

Victorian residents singing Carols in Franklin, TN (Courtesy image by Pinterest)

Manheim is in Lancaster, and is hosting the 32nd season of Dickens of a Christmas at the Mt. Hope Estate & Winery. You are cordially invited to the Annual Christmas Party at Mount Hope’s Theater in the Mansion production, kicking off December 2 and continuing until December 23. Sing along, share games and traditions, and rejoice in the spirit of the season with holiday characters. Bring the whole family and create new traditions out of old at Mount Hope’s A Dickens of a Christmas. Before the show, guests visit the newly remodeled Anchor & Mermaid Tavern for Dinner and a Show or Lunch and a Show. No time to dine? Show only tickets are also available for all performances.

Uncountable vendors in Wellsboro's Dickens of a Christmas