Christmas by Candlelight

Last night, Colette and I went to Old Sturbridge Village’s “Christmas by Candlelight” program. Technohubby and Max didn’t go…it’s a long story. Well…okay…I’ll tell you why. The first year we went to this program, Max was coming down with the flu (but we didn’t know it at the time), so the event sort of has bad associations for him. And it was so bitterly cold that night that Technohubby thought it was too cold to be fun, and has declined to go since. But Colette and I are undaunted! It's become a tradition for the two of us! And last night, even though the temperature was hovering right around 32 degrees when we arrived (at 4:00 p.m.), it was the warmest night we’ve ever spent at this event! There was no breeze. I even wore a skirt (with lots of layers) and a wool coat and scarf, and I was pretty much toasty warm all night. But even if it’d been 15 degrees, we would’ve gone, because it’s just so lovely!

I love all the white lights and candles, and the smoke curling from the chimneys.

This was the first building we went in, the “Parson’s House”. The wreath was made of fresh greens and globe amaranth. Very pretty! I have some globe amaranth hanging in my laundry room, waiting to be made into bouquets this January.

Inside, in the kitchen, was a costumed interpreter making fruitcake from a period recipe (not at all like that icky, modern type).

She was baking the fruitcake in a tin kitchen, using it as a reflector to radiate the heat.

Outside, we saw this pretty lady with her basket.

The fire on the green looked like a cozy spot to gather.

Then we went in another house, where gingerbread was being offered. Mmmm.

We went in the Towne House, where we listened to some period music and sampled hot mulled cider.

Then we went in the tavern.

Inside, it smelled delicious, as this woman was demonstrating how cocoa beans were processed into chocolate. It would’ve been processed commercially in large cities, like Boston, in the 1830′s (Sturbridge’s time period).

I may have the details wrong, but I believe the cocoa beans in the bowl on the right are unroasted. The beans in the middle bowl are roasted. And then they are put on that slanting stone over hot coals and melted into a form of chocolate that could be used. That’s probably not right, but it’s something like that. She said that cocoa powder and cocoa butter are two elements that exist in that pool of chocolate and the trick is to keep them together.