History Happenings for December

December is upon us, which means it's almost Christmas time. If you need a break from all the holiday shopping hustle, our area historic sites have plenty of events your family can enjoy.Exchange Place Living History FarmExchange Place invites you to celebrate the holiday season at its annual Christmas in the Country on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Christmas in the County is a holiday celebration with unique crafts, delicious foods and demonstrations of mid-19th century farm life in Northeast Tennessee.More than 25 vendors will sell unique folks arts and handicrafts. New this year is Eric Matney, of A Whittle Woodworking, and his handmade buttons. Also attending will be Mountain City's Vickie Price and her family, a featured vendor for more than 20 years, who will sell hand-crafted and freshly cut wreaths, swags, roping and greenery bundles.Costumed interpreters located in buildings around the farm will describe a day-in-the-life of 1800s farmstead residents.Hands-on activities and educational displays for all ages will be scattered around the farmstead. Youth are invited to dip bayberry candles, help decorate a tree for the birds, and create a greeting card from paper scraps just as children in 1850 might have done.Two do-it-yourself workshops will be available for additional fees. Heritage Chair Caner Doug Lowman will present an "Introduction to Chair Caning" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants will gain the skills to weave a square or rectangular seat in a chair or stool. The workshop fee is $75. All materials and tools will be provided. Lowman suggests that the workshop is best suited for those with moderate hand strength who have not had any recent shoulder, arm or hand injuries.Master Gardener Joy Moore will lead a "Make a Kissing Ball" workshop from 1-3 p.m. Kissing balls, which date back centuries, were hung in doorways to bring luck to all who walked under them. The $10 fee includes all materials.Pre-registration and pre-payment are required for both workshops.The ever-popular Yule Log Ceremony, a free community tradition to close the day's festivities, will take place near the Cook's Cabin beginning around 4:15 p.m.Admission for Christmas in the Country is $5 for adults and free for children under 12. Exchange Place is located at 4812 Orebank Road in Kingsport. For more information, call 423-288-6071.Netherland Inn & Boatyard Historic SiteThe Netherland Inn is hosting the annual "1818 Christmas at the Inn." The event will be from 6-8 p.m. on Dec. 5 and 6, and from 2-4 p.m. on Dec. 7. Join the folks at the inn for a celebration of the holiday season featuring live music, hot cider, delicious treats and period decorations. Area garden clubs are decorating the rooms of the Inn and Barn in 1818 style. Tickets are available at the door.Tipton-Haynes State Historic SiteTipton-Haynes State Historic Site will present the "Annual Visions of Christmas" on Dec. 5 and 6 from 1-5 p.m. Experience what it was like for the various families that lived at Tipton-Haynes during the 18th through 20th centuries. Come see the glow of oil lamps and the smell of holiday greenery that will adorn the historic house. Reenactors and volunteers will be in period clothing to recreate the atmosphere of the excitement leading up to Christmas and teach about the different traditions of the holiday season. Enjoy family fun as holiday snacks and drinks will be prepared over the open hearth in the cabin.Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Please call 423-926-3631 or email tiptonhaynes@outlook.com to make a reservation for the Christmas candlelight tour or for more information. Tours begin at 1:15 p.m. and continue every 20 minutes until the last tour at 4:55 p.m. Reservations are strongly suggested prior to Dec. 5, as space will be limited. Tipton-Haynes is located at 2620 S. Roan St. in Johnson City.Historic BlountvilleThis year the Sullivan County Historical Preservation Association at the Old Deery Inn is focusing its Christmas tours on Virginia Byars Caldwell's pamphlet, "Twelve Years of Christmas." Join them Dec. 4 and 5 from 6-8 p.m. and again Dec. 12 from 6-8 p.m. and Dec. 13 from 1-4 p.m. for this celebration of her handmade Christmas cards from 1952 until 1963.Historic Carter MansionOn Dec. 5 and 6, you can step back in time to the 18th century and enjoy a Colonial Christmas at the Carter Mansion in Elizabethton. Join the Carter family and their friends for a glimpse into a simpler time when Christmas was the grandest celebration of the entire year. In colonial America the Christmas season was celebrated as a month-long array of merriment and festivities signaled by caroling, feasting, dances, foxhunts and the firing of Christmas guns.Enjoy the sights and sounds of the 18th century as your guide escorts you, by lantern light, through the oldest frame house in Tennessee, decorated with bright greenery and soft candlelight for the holidays. Visit with historic interpreters throughout the house as they share the traditions and customs of a Colonial American Christmas.The event opens at 6 p.m. with tours every 20 minutes until 8 p.m. General admission is $14, and ages 12 and under are $10. Tours are by reservation only. You may register at tnstateparks.com/parks/events/sycamore-shoals. The Carter Mansion is located at 1031 Broad St., Elizabethton. For more information about this and other events at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park call 423-543-5808.Historic Sabine Hill"A Christmas Carol at Sabine Hill" will be presented on Dec. 11 and 12 at 7 p.m. "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens, has been a hallmark of the Christmas season since it was first published in 1843. Join nationally acclaimed entertainer and local celebrity David Browning as he interprets this timeless tale as a one-man dramatic presentation in the person of Ebenezer Scrooge and 12 other characters from Dickens' classic story.Performances will be held in the elegant "West Room" of the Historic Taylor House at Sabine Hill State Historic Site in Elizabethton. Following the show, guests will have the opportunity to meet with Browning and tour the candlelit rooms festively decorated for Christmas. To top it off, a sampling of Victorian era Christmas treats will be served from the historic Sabine Hill kitchen.Tickets are $35 per individual and may be purchased at https://tnstateparks.com/parks/events/sycamore-shoals. Sabine Hill State Historic Site is located at 2328 W. G St., Elizabethton. For more information, please call 423-543-5808.Tri-Cities Civil War Round TableThe Tri-Cities Civil War Round Table is hosting a presentation by Jim Ogden titled "The Battle of Chickamauga Illustrated." Ogden's presentation will be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8 in Room 239 of the Renaissance Center, 1200 E. Center St., Kingsport. As always, this presentation is free and open to the public, and all interested are cordially invited to attend.Sycamore Shoals State Historic ParkSycamore Shoals will present "Winter in Two Worlds" on Dec. 7. The event is free, but registration is required. Go to www.tnstateparks.com/parks/events/sycamore-shoals to register.Many of our modern wintertime traditions involve holidays and family gatherings. How do our 21st-century practices differ from the frontier families who first arrived here in the 1760s? What about the Cherokee's traditions during the winter months? Come learn how similarly — and differently — these two cultures spent their time during the coldest time of year, from the practical to the ceremonial.On Dec. 16, the park will host "Candle Dipping — An 18th Century Craft."Candles were an essential source of light in the 18th century. In this hands-on program, learn the history of the candle, the common materials used to make them, and dip your own candles to bring home with you. Program is for ages 7 and above. Children must be assisted by an adult to ensure the safety of all participants. Parents assisting their children but not making their own candle do not need to pay for admission.There is a fee of $10 for this program to cover the cost of materials and registration is required. Go to www.tnstateparks.com/parks/events/sycamore-shoals to register.Ned Jilton II is a photographer, history lover and columnist. You can contact him at ndjphoto@aol.com.