Christmas at Connemara

Poinsettia in window of Carl Sandburg Home.

NPS Photo

The Scheudle for the 2026 Christmas at Connemara Event has not yet been released. Please check back in November/early December for updates.

The Sandburg family enjoyed a simple holiday at home at Connemara. They handmade gifts and baked Swedish springerle cookies, gathered holly and greenery from the grounds to decorate mantels and tables, and cut a white pine from the woods as the Christmas tree. Favorite tree ornaments were glass or paper mache birds. The Christmas season was a time when the family was home and Carl Sandburg took a break from traveling. They gathered in the living room to listen to music, sing songs, and read stories.

Below you can find videos from programs and Sandburg family recipes to try something new for the holidays.

 

 

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  Holiday Storytelling with Ronnie Pepper

  Carl Sandburg wrote a series of stories for Children called the Rootabaga Stories. They were set in the American landscape of skyscrapers, cornfields, and the railroad lines that tied it all together. Whether listening to Sandburg's stories or stories from across the world, the family enjoyed a variety of storytelling during the holidays. Enjoy storyteller Ronnie Pepper as he shares holiday-themed stories from around the world.

  Duration:

  26 minutes, 28 seconds

 

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  Send a Holiday Greeting to Friends and Family

  During the holidays the Sandburg family received many letters from friends and associates who were eager to send updates and well-wishes. The family in turn, sent out many letters and cards with their own greetings and updates. Watch this video to find inspiration for writing your own holiday greetings, poems and letters!

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 5 seconds

 

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  Holiday Music from a String Quartet

  Enjoy holiday and folk-inspired music from a string quartet of the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra for Christmas at Connemara. Traditional carols start and end this performance, with selections about memory and times past in the middle. These familiar selections include We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Somewhere in My Memory, and We Come A-Caroling. Musicians performing are Mary C. Irwin (violin), Elizabeth Terry (violin), Audrey Bass (viola), and Eric Scheider (cello).

  Duration:

  20 minutes, 31 seconds

 

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  Homemade Paper Ornaments to Decorate for the Holidays

  The Sandburg family enjoyed making decorations for the holidays. They gathered greenery from the woods surrounding their home to make wreaths and boughs, and crafted their own ornaments for the tree. Gather a few simple supplies, and follow the video to make your own homemade paper ornaments to decorate for the holidays.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 36 seconds

 

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  A Cappella

  A Capella singers, Blissing Trio, share holiday favorites that you can sing along with for Christmas at Connemara. Enjoy the music and sing along! Don’t know the lyrics? Turn on the captions and join in. Songs featured in this video include Deck the Halls, Up on the Rooftop, Friendly Beasts and Silent Night. Blissing Trio is comprised of Lynn Nichols, Diane David and Charlene Spinks.

  Duration:

  18 minutes, 50 seconds

 

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  Bake Ginger Cookies with Ranger Lia

  Ranger Lia shares a ginger cookie recipe for the holidays. The recipe was originally published in the Settlement Cookbook in 1901, and quickly became a Sandburg family favorite. You can follow along and make your own ginger cookies for the holiday! The recipe is in the transcript.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 22 seconds

 

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  Cherokee Storytelling with Virginia Blackfeather Thompson

  Cherokee storyteller Virginia "Blackfeather" Thompson shares traditional and modern stories for Christmas at Connemara. Storytelling was a favorite Sandburg family activity for the holidays.Virginia "Blackfeather" Thompson is an experienced lecturer and storyteller whose specialty is in Native American Indian folklore, culture and mores. She is well-known in Western North Carolina and is a frequent guest artist at Carl Sandburg Home NHS.

  Duration:

  20 minutes, 18 seconds

 

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  Carl Sandburg's American Songbag with John and Sandy Perkins

  John and Sandy Perkins explore Carl Sandburg’s "American Songbag" for Christmas at Connemara. One of the Sandburg family holiday traditions was to gather in the living room singing songs and listening to records. Not necessarily holiday music, but family favorite folk songs. Enjoy the music and sing along! Don’t know the lyrics, turn on the captions and join in. While these were popular songs of the period, please note some of the songs have somber lyrics, though the music is easy to sing to.

  Duration:

  22 minutes, 11 seconds

 

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  Holiday Dulcimer Music with Steve and Jean Smith

  Steve and Jean Smith share holiday music on mountain and hammered dulcimer for Christmas at Connemara. They have been visitor favorites every year playing in the visitor center for the holidays and at the barn for the spring Folk Festival. Enjoy this selection of tunes that includes music from around the world and seasonal favorites.

  Duration:

  26 minutes, 49 seconds