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Colonial Christmas Tour at the Jacobus
Vanderveer House, December 2-4, 2005:
Jim was one of four designers selected to
furnish and decorate a room for the holidays interpreting it to
period. Jim was given the "main parlor"
The Jacobus Vanderveer house, built in the 1770's was restored by
"The Friends of Jacobus Vanderveer House " three years ago.
The house is typical of Dutch frame architecture found in N.J. during the
1770's and is West Georgian in design. The main parlor includes wide plank
flooring, barrel back cabinetry, a panelled fireplace, and beamed ceiling.
The blue delft tile around the fireplace opening is typical for the
period. The house currently stands empty, and the Christmas Tour is a
fund-raising event to re-construct the kitchen wing. Once completed, the
house will become a colonial museum.
Dutch
Colonial Traditions
St. Nicholas
The Dutch settlers of
New Jersey
took great delight in keeping
the spirit of Christmas. They
celebrated with parties and open houses much as their distant neighbors in
Virginia.
Business was suspended from St. Nicholas Eve on December 5th
until the Twelfth Night.
And they
brought with them from
Holland
one of our happiest Christmas
traditions. On St Nicholas
Eve, Dutch children left their wooden shoes beside the fireplace before
they went to bed, just as their parents had in
Holland
.
Every child knew that on that night St Nicholas, or Sinterklaas,
as he was called in Dutch, would come riding by on a white horse and fill
the shoes of good children with small
presents, cakes and candies. Bad
children received only a switch.
Then,
as now, there were indeed very few bad children at Christmas time.
 Garlands
& Greens
Decorations for the
midwinter holidays consisted of whatever natural materials looked
attractive at the bleakest time of year-evergreens, berries, forced
blossoms, and of course, candles and fires for light and warmth.
In ancient times, Romans celebrated their Saturnalia
with displays of lights, and hardy greenery formed into wreaths and
sprays. Christian churches
have long been decorated for Christmas.
Historic Anecdote
Did a celebration around a Christmas tree on a bitter cold Christmas
Eve at
Trenton
turn the tide for Colonial
forces in 1776???
According
to legend, Hessian mercenaries were so reminded of home by a candlelit
evergreen tree, that they abandoned their guardposts to eat, drink, and be
merry.
Washington
seized the opportunity, attacked
that night, and defeated them.
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