Christmas with the Comstocks

Culture | December 11th, 2019

By Jill Finkelson
jsfinkelson99@gmail.com

Have you ever wondered what it was like to celebrate Christmas is 1885? Discover Christmas Past at the Comstock house this Saturday. The Cass County Historical Society has decked the house for the holiday season. In addition to the tours they have been having, they are hosting Christmas with the Comstocks. The holiday party is free with regular admission to the house (and to Historical Society members) and includes food, drink, and music. The event is perfect for friends and family to see a little piece of history and celebrate Christmas on this chilly weekend.

The big old house is a gem for local history as it has remained virtually untouched throughout the years. Other then the restrooms, the house remains as it did in 1883 when Solomon Comstock had it built for himself and his family in young, growing Moorhead. Merging the 19th-century Queen Anne and Eastlake styles, the house was one of the grandest homes around. It cost about $45,000- I don’t know how much that is today but we can be assured it was a lot. The Comstocks lived in it until 1965 when they gifted it to the Minnesota Historical Society. The society has maintained the home as it is today. Now, you can take tours at any time of year but it is especially grand this time of year.

Discover how the Comstock celebrated all the way back in 1883 when their house was new. The Victorians brought on some of our most cherished Christmas traditions. They had big Christmas trees with tinsel and lights, lots of Christmas treats, and a day to spend with family along with some things not so familiar. Discover Victorian Christmas this Saturday by celebrating with the Comstocks. You will learn their traditions and get a look at what the holidays were like back then. Make an ornament for your tree, eat holiday treats and sip hot cocoa all the while. It will be a celebration all around, with live music and parlor games. Looking at the favored games of the time, you can recognize some, such as charades, which is still played today. Snap-dragon is less popular, possibly due to the risk of burning fingers by plucking raisins out of a flaming bowl of brandy! Make sure to check out the house and decorations on a tour.

The event is on from 4 pm to 7 pm on Saturday, the 14th. Emily Kulzer, director of operations for the historic house reached out to say the event is open to everyone to come to see the house in all its Christmas glory. This is the annual event for the Comstock house and though it may be a little quieter than some years it is definitely worth a trip to see the house in all its glory. She confirmed there will be plenty of hot chocolate, Christmas cookies and a chance to make a Victorian Christmas ornament all while tours of the house are going on.

IF YOU GO:

Christmas with the Comstocks

Saturday, December 14, 4-7 p.m.

Comstock House, 506 8th St. Moorhead

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