CHRISTMAS AT GLENCAIRN MUSEUM
new church life: november/december 2015
Christmas has been celebrated at Glencairn since Raymond and Mildred
Pitcairn moved into their home in 1939. Glencairn Museum continues
the tradition with special exhibits and activities for friends and visitors.
Père Noël is the French equivalent of Santa
Claus. This turn-of-the-century papier-mâché
figure – a candy container – is part of the
Christmas Traditions of Many Lands exhibit.
This Nativity, made in Austria in the late
19th century, was built into a wooden
drawer with a glass cover. Such scenes
often included a backdrop reminiscent
of the town where the artist lived.
Each year Glencairn borrows crèches from other collections.
This 2013 Nativity, made in a French monastery by the Sisters of
Bethlehem, was loaned by the Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina.
Under the Tree Nativity.
In the 1920s a three-part Nativity scene was made by artist Winfred
S. Hyatt for Cairnwood, the Pitcairns’ first home in Bryn Athyn. It was
always considered the most important part of the family’s elaborate
decorations and now is part of the World Nativities exhibition.
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