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Christmas by Candlelight Media Kit and Communication Resources

Christmas by Candlelight | Media Kit and Communication Resources

About Christmas by Candlelight

A mom and child look at lit trees outside
Stroll through the Christmas Tree Trail and Wish Bridge

Christmas by Candlelight is a cherished holiday tradition at Old Sturbridge Village, welcoming thousands of new and returning visitors each year. Guests are invited to watch demonstrations of classic Christmas projects, stroll through the decorated Village and Christmas Tree Trail, listen to stories and live music, taste sweet treats, ride the horse-drawn carryall, vote for their favorite gingerbread house, learn about the history of holiday traditions, visit with Santa, and more. PLUS: Embark on a musical journey through the 19th century with Upon a Midnight Clear: An Acoustic New England Christmas, presented by ClockJack Productions. If you're looking for unique gifts, stocking stuffers or other one-of-a-kind treasures for everyone on your list, be sure to stop in at the Ox & Yoke Mercantile shop.

“Where most Christmas festivals overwhelm the senses with lights and music and sugary smells, Christmas by Candlelight is content to wrap its guests in quiet and calm.” – Yankee Magazine, Nov/Dec 2024 Issue

"Catch "Upon a Midnight Clear" if you go, it was great! Highly recommend it...The band is great, very talented musicians and vocalists, and the storyteller ties it together perfectly." – Chip (2024 Attendee)

"I hadn't been to Old Sturbridge Village since I was a kid, and I'll say this, it was by FAR the best Christmas activity I think I've ever done." – Robert (2024 Attendee)

Christmas by Candlelight 2025 is made possible through the generous support of Country Bank, Southbridge Credit Union, The Overlook, and the Publick House.

Download the Official Press Release Here

Media Contact: Angela Giovanello | [email protected] 

Dates: Christmas by Candlelight runs November 28, 29, 30 and December 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28 ,29, and 30, 2025.

Times: Christmas by Candlelight runs from 2:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Tickets are set up for varying arrival blocks (2:00, 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00), and guests can arrive anytime after the start time listed on their tickets. With the exception of the lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m., activities are ongoing throughout the evening or repeat at designated intervals.

Website & Tickets: www.osv.org/christmas

Location: Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA

Official Hashtags:

About Old Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village, first opened to the public in 1946, is one of the country’s oldest and largest living history museums, celebrating life in early New England from 1790-1840. It is the largest living history museum in the Northeast. More than 200,000 visitors interact with costumed historians each year, experience up-close demonstrations of early American trades, and meet heritage breed farm animals. Situated on 200 scenic acres, the Village is a collection of more than 40 historic buildings – including homes, meetinghouses, trade shops, working farms, restaurants, shops, and three water-powered mills.

Located just off the Massachusetts Turnpike and Routes I-84 and 20 in Sturbridge, Mass., Old Sturbridge Village is open year-round, but days and hours vary seasonally.

Social Media Shareables

We invite visitors, the press, members, and volunteers to help spread the word about Christmas by Candlelight! To help make sharing the word simple, sample text, logos, and imagery are available below.

Please tag Old Sturbridge Village and use #OldSturbridgeVillage and #OSVChristmas.

Facebook: facebook.com/oldsturbridgevillage

Instagram: @oldsturbridgevillage

Sample Text 1:

A cherished holiday tradition returns to Old Sturbridge Village! Relish old traditions and create new ones as you watch demonstrations of classic Christmas projects, stroll through the decorated Village and Christmas Tree Trail, listen to stories and live music, sample sweet treats, ride the horse-drawn carryall, visit Santa, and more during Christmas by Candlelight, select nights this November and December. Tickets are on sale now at www.osv.org/christmas

Sample Text 2:

Christmas by Candlelight returns to Old Sturbridge Village on select nights this holiday season! Celebrate the best of Christmas past and present with friends and family as you stroll through the decorated Village and Christmas Tree Trail, listen to merry music, taste sweet treats, ride the horse-drawn carryall, see demonstrations of classic Christmas projects, visit Santa, and learn the history of many now-classic traditions. Back by popular demand, embark on a musical journey through the 19th century with Upon a Midnight Clear: An Acoustic New England Christmas presented by ClockJack Productions. Tickets are on sale now at www.osv.org/christmas

Christmas by Candlelight Old Sturbridge vilageLogos:

Click the links below to download the official Phantoms by Firelight logo. Please do not stretch, change colors, or alter in any way. If you have questions about logo usagle, please get in touch with [email protected].

Christmas by Candlelight Logo | Transparent PNG

Christmas by Candlelight Graphic (square)

Photos:

Click any of the images below to download. Please credit Old Sturbridge Village unless otherwise noted.

Additional images are available upon request. Email [email protected] with any questions.

 

Christmas by Candlelight: The Horse-Drawn Ride Goes by the Richardson House
The Horse-Drawn Ride Goes by the Richardson House; Credit John Collins
Christmas by Candlelight: The Horse-Drawn Ride Goes by the Richardson House
The Christmas Tree Trail; Credit Debbie Segreve
Upon a Midnight Clear Performance; Credit Adam Currie
Visitors walk through the Christmas Wish Bridge

 

Upon a Midnight Clear Performance; Credit Adam Currie
A woman in 1830s dress knits a pair of stocking by candlelight
A costumed historian knits Christmas stockings
Making Mulled Cider by the Open Hearth
A mother and daughter share a hot drink by the bonfire
A family stands by the Christmas Wish Bridge
Photo opportunities abound!
A Village Potter shows a young visitor how he makes pottery on the foot-powered wheel

Official Commercial:

Also Seen In:

Christmas by Candlelight at Old Sturbridge Village was featured in the November/December 2024 edition of Yankee Magazine! The eight-page spread features beautifully captured photos from last year, quotes from staff, and a sneak peek at the visitor experience of this cherished program.

Content and Story Starters:

Click the topics below for some fun facts and historical tidbits related to Christmas by Candlelight.

Christmas Celebrations in New England

Most early New Englanders saw the holiday as frivolous at best (and dangerous at worst) and celebrating it was against the law in Massachusetts from 1659 to 1681. Those found to be celebrating the holiday could be fined 5 shillings. Most early 19th-century rural New Englanders adhered to their Puritan ancestors’ principles and still did not celebrate Christmas. Christmas celebrations quickly grew in popularity throughout the region as the 19th century progressed, however. By 1870, Christmas was a federal holiday.

Christmas Trees

While the Christmas tree is a centerpiece of many modern Christmas celebrations, this seasonal staple didn’t gain popularity among Euro-Americans until the mid-nineteenth century. The precise origin of Christmas trees is murky and surrounded by myth, but evergreen trees have been used as powerful symbols of fertility and life since ancient times. The first documented Christmas tree in New England was in the home of a German immigrant and Professor Charles Follen in Cambridge, MA in 1835. During Christmas by Candlelight, be sure to stroll through our Christmas Tree Trail of approximately 80 lighted trees, and make a wish in the Christmas Wish Bridge!

Festive Music

Many of today’s “traditional” Christmas carols date to the 19th century. The One Horse Open Sleigh,” later called “Jingle Bells,” was written in the 1850s by James Pierpont and originally was written as a Thanksgiving tune. The song “O Tannenbaum” (AKA “O Christmas Tree”) is a traditional folk tune with lyrics composed in 1824. The words of the song “Silent Night” were originally written in 1816 in German by Joseph Mohr, the assistant pastor of a church in Austria. A couple of years later, the organist of that church quickly composed a melody for the poem to be used at mass. Music abounds during Christmas by Candlelight, with Upon a Midnight Clear: An Acoustic New England Christmas in the Stephen M. Brewer Theater in the Country Bank Visitor Center, and a variety of musical acts in the Center Meetinghouse.

Gingerbread

Hard and soft gingerbread has been baked in Europe and the United States for centuries. While the precise origins are unclear, gingerbread was a relatively popular treat in medieval Europe. During the 1800s, the folktale of Hansel and Gretel inspired some Germans to make hard gingerbread models of the witch’s house. As the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel became more popular in Europe and the United States, more and more people started creating these gingerbread buildings as Christmastime decorations. During Christmas by Candlelight 2025, guests can view a splendid display of gingerbread houses made by member of the community (and vote for their favorite) and taste a sample of gingerbread.

Santa and Stockings

The poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (now known as “The Night Before Christmas”) turns 200 years old this year! It was first published anonymously in 1823 in the Troy Sentinel, a newspaper in New York. The poem has since been attributed to Clement Clark Moore (who claimed authorship in 1844), but many modern scholars have concluded that the now famous poem was written by Henry Livingston Jr. Regardless of who wrote the poem, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” is often considered a turning point in the evolution of the modern American Santa Claus figure. During Christmas by Candlelight, guests can visit with Jolly Old Saint Nick himself in his cozy cabin!

Christmas by Candlelight by the numbers

Planning for Christmas by Candlelight is a year-long process and preparing for the event takes the dedicated effort of hundreds of staff and volunteers. Here are some fun stats about the program:

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