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
May 12th 2025
May 19th 2025
May 12th 2025
May 12th 2025
May 12th 2025
__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
By Alicia Underlee NelsonMore than 1,000 pro-worker events are planned for Thursday, May 1 across the country, including rallies in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Minot and Jamestown. East Grand Forks and Bismarck will host protests…
From concerts and car shows to Japanese art and Juneteenth celebrations, there's so much going on around the region this summer. This year's High Plains Reader Summer Events Calendar is back and bigger than ever. It's packed with…
June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com One description that perhaps aptly describes the mental state of many lately is that they feel they are attached to a string. Or several strings. Call it the notion that people are played like puppets,…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comFor sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leechesI suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com The writing/directing partnership of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck has to be one of the most curious cases of crazy connect-the-dots career moves in recent cinema. From short documentaries and…
By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…