A unique program that began at the Saskatoon Western Development Museum’s famous Boomtown exhibit has made its way south to Moose Jaw, offering a historical look at the Christmas season.
Karla Rasmussen, programs co-ordinator at the WDM in Moose Jaw, brought the “A Christmas Long Ago” program to Moose Jaw because she thought it was a fascinating chance to understand how the holiday has changed.
The WDM mostly runs the program for a number of schools, which bring their students from kindergarten to Grade 2, but Rasmussen also opens the program up to the public for three dates in December.
“A Christmas Long Ago” features a room entirely staged to look like a farmhouse in 1910, where Rasmussen takes the audience through a story of how Grandma and Grandpa are preparing for Christmas on their homestead.
The program takes you back in time to a different version of the holiday, giving the kids a chance to experience Christmas from an entirely new perspective.
“The nice thing about the Christmas Long Ago program is it compares that time period to where we live now, so we have some age-appropriate questions we kind of discussion as we go through,” said Rasmussen.
Children get to open presents and discover what would have been gifted in 1910, and help decorate the Christmas tree, and even take part in a holiday-themed craft using only era-appropriate materials.
“(We make) a Christmas card using materials that would have been available during 1910, so we don't use squeeze bottles of glue or glue sticks,” said Rasmussen. “We actually have little jars of glue and the students use a wooden stick to spread it when they're sticking their pieces together.”
The whole program is very interactive, featuring a number of hands-on artifacts that aid the story, and Rasmussen thinks that’s what makes it so special.
“It really is a neat program and I think it's unlike anything else that we do here in Moose Jaw, so I encourage folks to come out to it,” said Rasmussen.
Rasmussen has always had rave reviews of the program, especially since they added a public program time on Dec. 24.
“Last year was the first year we added the Christmas Eve date and it went over very well,” said Rasmussen.
With nearly 500 students already registered through their schools and a lot of interest from the public, Rasmussen hinted that there are still a few spots left for both the classroom tours and the public program.
Pre-registration is required, and anyone interested can contact the WDM at 1 (306) 690-5989 to register.
“A Christmas Long Ago” will run for the public on Dec. 14 and 21, with sessions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., as well as on Dec. 24 at 2 p.m. The cost for the event is just regular admission to the WDM.
