HOLYOKE — With the holiday season right around the corner, Wistariahurst Museum is geared to celebrate the season with the return of its Holiday Open House and Festive Market, a captivating weekend of jubilation.
On Dec. 7 and 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the public is invited inside Wistariahurst to view its holiday décor within its halls on the first floor of the museum and visit its Festive Market which features local vendors selling a variety of products such as art, jewelry and other items perfect for upcoming gift exchanges.
Visitors will also be accompanied by holiday music, the Wisty Railroad train set on display and other fun celebrations and displays of the holiday season.
“There is nothing better than feeling the magic of the holiday season inside the museum,” said Wistariahurst Office Assistant Rachel Powell. “The greatest gift we see at the museum is seeing people of all ages come together to celebrate the museum and community in the warmth of our halls.”
This will be the fourth annual Holiday Open House and Festival Market and the event was born from Wistariahurst efforts to expand celebrations of the holiday season. Powell said making this a free event allows for anyone to come through alone or with family or friends and get some holiday cheer in.
“Things are so expensive nowadays,” Powell said. “We like being able to welcome people from all cultures and economic backgrounds into our house so they can get a little bit of history and a little bit of holiday cheer all in one place. It’s a great community center so why not open up our doors and kind of celebrate the end of the year with everybody.”
Powell said each year volunteers prepping the lighting and decorations of the event adds extra excitement as the event and holiday season itself nears.
“There’s something beautiful about red, green and gold in a very historic house and that’s kind of the classic feel,” Powell added. “We want you to come in and feel the wonder.”
A variety of vendors will be available within the holiday market selling items such as candles, antiques, treats, crafts and much more.
“It’s a really interesting variety of people that we think kind of match how interesting the area is,” Powell said.
Powell noted there will be a sensory friendly Sunday Funday coming up the weekend following on Dec. 15 from noon to 3 p.m. for families that may be hesitant to bring their child to the Open House and Festive Market due to crowd levels. She added the sensory friendly event allows for those who could not attend the weekend prior to still get some of that history offered and participate in some activities.
For more information on this event visit wistariahurst.org.
Powell reiterated this event was free and open to the public. She encourages people to stop by and join the building excitement leading to the holiday season.
“There’s something amazing about seeing kids getting excited about stuff but its almost more magical to see grown adults revert back to being children. It’s an amazing experience for everyone to come in,” Powell said.
