The ‘60s were a time of dramatic change. A young, dynamic president took office. The racial divide took center stage. A man landed on the moon. War was being waged in Vietnam. The generation gap widened. College students demonstrated … against everything. Mother Earth became a rallying cry.

Yet, things stayed the same. In Lancaster during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, the baby boomers turned out in force on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to welcome Santa Claus to town. Visiting Santa at Watt & Shand was a rite of passage.

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the Aluminum Specialty Company was in the process of creating a holiday icon – the aluminum Christmas tree. Tom Gannon, the company’s toy sales manager, happened to be in a five-and-dime store in Chicago in 1958 when he spied a homemade metal tree on display. Ideas began to spin in his head and upon returning to the company’s headquarters in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, he successfully presented his idea for a metallic tree to its management team. The company’s design team went to work.

In 1959, the company’s metallic tree hit the market. Consumers snapped them up at an unprecedented rate. After all, aluminum was perceived as being modern. It also embodied the look of the Atomic Age and epitomized the holiday decor one might find at the futuristic home of the Jestons. The fact that it was being touted as a “permanent” tree as opposed to an artificial one, appealed to a generation that was already looking for the convenience factor in their lives.

In the early ‘60s, the company’s designers went back to the drawing board and created an improved product that was christened the Evergleam. To quell customer complaints that the tree could not be strung with lights, the color wheel, which projected light onto the tree, made its debut.

The tree ruled holiday décor until an infamous night in 1965. Americans tuned in to their televisions to hear a boy named Charlie Brown rue our attachment to all things artificial – specifically pink-hued aluminum trees. He suggested we should honor living trees, no matter how misshapen or scrawny they may be. The shiny trees lost favor with the public, and production at the Aluminum Specialty Company ceased in 1969.

Down in the mountains of North Carolina, farmers rejoiced. They had discovered a tree that grows like a weed – albeit a slow one – in their corner of the South. The little-known tree was the Fraser fir. Co-ops were formed, helping the Tar Heel State become a force in tree production. (FYI: According to the National Christmas Tree Association, the top five tree-producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.) The Fraser hit the big time in 1970, when a North Carolina-grown tree was displayed in the White House.

Over the past 50 years, the popularity of aluminum trees has ebbed and flowed. The vintage craze has helped to revive interest in them. Fans of Christmas, whose homes feature multiple trees, often include them in their holiday decor. And, they do prove to be topics of conversation. People tend to love ‘em or hate ‘em.

Dawn Fisher’s tree, which typically goes up the week of Christmas because she is so busy working on clients’ homes or places of business, pays homage to the past in that it’s aluminum. However, it’s also very 21st century due to its fullness, the fact that it can be strung with lights, and its “needles” are a combination of silver and black, which adds texture and dimension. Last year, Dawn decorated it with a color that has become a hot holiday hue, turquoise. Pops of red were delivered with faux amaryllis blooms. “I kept it up through February,” she reports. Indeed, once she removed her Santas, the room took on a winter theme, as the snowflake-lined windows and snowmen demonstrated their staying power.

For Dawn, who is originally from Annville in Lebanon County, Christmas is a year-round project. “Whatever I look at, I ask myself how it could be incorporated into Christmas,” she says, whether she’s shopping in July or December. While many of us sleep in on December 26, Dawn is up at the crack of, well dawn, in order to hit the after-Christmas sales. “I invest my income in after-Christmas sales,” she explains. “I probably have enough ornaments to decorate 50 trees,” she says of her stash. Her newest endeavor is collecting harvest-related items. “A lot of my commercial clients now want to put up harvest trees,” she explains.

Dawn cherishes her relationship with Jim Morrison and the National Christmas Center. “Jim gets you excited about Christmas,” she says. She also shares that Martha Stewart is a fan. “She’s borrowed some things from the center,” she reports, explaining that the items often serve as the inspiration for the ornaments she designs for her brand. The National Christmas Center has also been featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine. “They were supposed to do a photo shoot at the Center on September 11,” Dawn recalls of that day in 2001. “I spent the entire night of September 10 working on one of the displays.” Dawn emerged around 10 a.m., only to learn what had taken place in New York. “I had no idea what people were talking about,” she says of being immersed in her own little world of Christmas. The shoot, of course, was rescheduled and Dawn likes to think that the staff’s eventual trip to Lancaster provided them with a pleasant escape from reality.

Many of today’s holiday traditions are rooted in the Victorian era. Greeting cards, handmade ornaments, feather trees and more can trace their beginnings to the 19th century.

Dawn Fisher (seated) and Jeanne Fisher collaborated on decorating Jeanne’s home for last year’s Columbia Victorian Christmas Tour. An interesting tidbit: In the Victorian era, shopkeepers attracted business by rewarding customers who purchased items with free candles.

Jeanne Fisher never does anything half way. When she was asked to participate in last year’s Columbia Victorian Christmas Tour, she decided to transform her home, which dates to 1846, into a holiday masterpiece.

Jeanne, however, had a slight problem. Since purchasing and restoring her Columbia home nearly 10 years ago, she had never celebrated the holidays there. Her home in the Philadelphia suburbs is a more convenient gathering place for her far-flung children. “The decorations I use for that house are far from Victorian,” Jeanne notes. So, she turned to the Internet in order to find authentic ornaments. However, she instantly encountered a roadblock: authentic Victorian ornaments and decor are outlandishly expensive. It would cost a fortune to decorate even a small tree.

Jeanne then strolled down the street to Garth Gallery. She was sure the gallery’s owner, Cle Berntheizel, would have some ideas. Indeed, it was Cle to the rescue. One of his friends, Dawn Fisher (no relation to Jeanne), is an authority on period decorating for the holidays. “For as long as I’ve known Dawn, she’s been crazy about Christmas,” Cle says of their friendship that dates back to attending the York Academy of Art together. As an added bonus, Dawn is very familiar with the Victorian architecture for which Columbia is known. For a time, she managed Angela House, an antiques consignment shop that was located in a building that was formerly home to the town’s Women’s Club. At holiday time, she pulled out all the stops to entice shoppers to visit the store. “Every window had a tree in it that was decorated with angels,” she explains.

The windows created a buzz, and soon people were asking Dawn to help them with their holiday-decorating projects. That led her to the National Christmas Center in Paradise, where she began assisting curator Jim Morrison with displays. Soon she was helping him decorate hotel lobbies and other venues that serve as a way to promote the center.

Guests for last year’s house tour were greeted by this festively decorated staircase.

Jeanne was impressed with Dawn’s ideas – “she’s very meticulous,” she notes – and the two agreed to collaborate on decorating the house as it would have been during the Victorian era, which is regarded as the period 1837-1901. The game plan included a fully decorated, floor-to-ceiling tree, table-top feather trees, a display of Jeanne’s vintage greeting cards and greenery throughout the house. Cle volunteered to take care of securing a tree and placed an order with Snyder’s Market for a 12-1/2-foot Fraser fir.

Dawn estimated the project would require three days to complete. The first day would be dedicated to placing the lights on the tree. “I always start from the bottom and wrap each branch with lights,” she explains. However, the size of this tree prompted her to deviate from routine and instead wrap the trunk with lights (for more dimension) and then move to the branches.

Dawn also arrived with what Jeanne estimated to be “a million boxes of ornaments.” Inside the boxes was a treasure trove of Victorian-style ornaments that ranged from reproductions of the distinctive styles of Germany to replicas of the “handmade” designs that would have been crafted from scraps of fabric or spun cotton/wool. “I used everything I have, plus I borrowed things from the National Christmas Center,” Dawn notes. The reproduction ornaments came from companies such as Old World Christmas and Christopher Radko. The ornaments took the shapes of angels, birds, balloons, trains and Santa. The Victorian custom of placing treats, such as candy, nuts and fruit in baskets (often created from blown eggs) and small gift bags, and hanging them on the tree was also represented. Antique prisms and Moravian-like stars also brought some sparkle to the tree. Wax candles and icicles also decorated the tree.

“The tree was a spectacular specimen,” says Dawn. “It was my honor and pleasure to decorate it. I like to think the 1,000 ornaments I added only served to gild the lily. My only goal was to do it justice.”

While Dawn worked on the tree, Jeanne and her friend, Doryth Deisley, decorated the staircase that ascends from the foyer to the upper floors. Jeanne and Cle also decorated the porch and hung wreaths on the front doors. Two kissing balls, made by a florist in Philadelphia, added to the Victorian ambiance.

But, Jeanne wasn’t quite finished. She borrowed costumes from Columbia’s renowned designer Janet Wood – or as Jeanne calls her, “the Cecil B. DeMille of Columbia” – and recruited some friends to join her in welcoming tour goers to her home. “We had a lot of fun,” she reports. “The day was definitely special.” And, not to let all their hard work go to waste, Jeanne hosted several parties at the house over the holidays.

Information on Victorian Christmas traditions was found on the websites of the BBC and Golden Glow of Christmas Past.

Christmas letters were popular during the Victorian era. Bored with their nondescript look, Sir Henry Cole instructed painter/illustrator John Callcott Horsley to create something that better embodied the season. Horsley supplied Cole with an illustration of a festive family gathering. Vines and twigs framed the illustration. A message – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – provided the finishing touch and became a popular verbal greeting at holiday time in England. Cole, who owned a lithography company, was so impressed with the results that he reproduced the image on 3×5 cards. Queen Victoria became a huge fan of the Christmas card and sent out thousands each year. By the 1860s, Christmas cards were a big business in England. The first American Christmas cards were printed in Boston in 1874.
For this mantle-top display, Dawn utilized Jeanne’s collection of cards that date to the early 1900s.

The Victorians decorated their homes with holly and other greenery at holiday time. They believed that holly brings good fortune. A holly tree in the garden was thought to protect a house from fire. Mistletoe was originally viewed by the Greeks and Romans as a holy plant in that it had the power to drive away evil and bring enemies together by embracing beneath it. The Victorians introduced the kissing concept to the superstition. In some cultures, kissing under the mistletoe ensures good luck. In others, it is believed that if a woman refuses the kiss, bad luck will follow. Note the reproduction fans.

Feather trees originated in Germany in the mid-1800s. The Germans preferred table-top trees, hence many of the country’s trees were being lopped off at their tops, letting the remainder of the tree go to waste. As a result, deforestation projects decimated the German countryside. Laws eventually protected the trees from the practice. In the meantime, the Germans had to improvise. Enter the world’s first artificial Christmas tree. Made to resemble a white pine, the trees were constructed of wire to which feathers (goose, turkey, ostrich or swan) were painstakingly attached. The feathers were dyed green to resemble pine needles.
Dawn decorated this feather tree with ornaments shaped like grape clusters, greeting and trade cards that were transformed into decorations with the addition of fringe and the requisite angel tree topper, which was typically made from  tinsel and porcelain or wax. The angel toppers represented childlike innocence and purity.

Prior to the reign of Queen Victoria, Christmas was a low-key celebration. In fact, it was business as usual on Christmas Day in England, as shops and offices were open and employees were expected to report for work. The queen’s husband, Prince Albert, played a major role in making Christmas a festive holiday in England. The German-born prince introduced England to the custom of decorating a tree. The first tree at Windsor Castle was erected in 1841 and was filled with German-made ornaments. In 1848, a drawing of the royal family gathered around a Christmas tree was published in the Illustrated London News, prompting Christmas trees to become an English tradition.
Gift giving also became customary. Children received such items as dolls and trains. Fruit was a cherished gift, as well, due to the fact that it was out-of-season and was quite expensive. “If you received an orange for Christmas, it was a big deal,” Dawn explains.

We’re going back in time to December 2006, when Chef Bill Scepansky provided advice and recipes for hosting a holiday party. Ten years later, shooters, grilled cheese, martinis and mojitos still rule supreme. And, Bill’s advice still stands: “Put your fears aside” and let the planning begin!

The first step, of course, is devising a guest list . Since this will be your first party (or the first one in years), keep it simple. Invite close friends, co-workers or the neighbors. The “or” word is important. A manageable number of guests will do wonders for your self-confidence. Next year, you can up the ante.

The party’s style  is also important. Drop-in and open-house invitations convey the message that hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served.

The timeframe of your party will also indicate the level of hospitality – early to mid-afternoon ensures your guests won’t arrive expecting lunch. The same thought holds true for a party that begins at 7 or 8 p.m.

As for the menu , don’t be afraid to mix it up: order some things from a caterer or specialty shop and supplement your purchases with a few recipes that always get rave reviews from family and friends. Again, simple is better. Your guests won’t want to juggle plates, utensils and drink glasses or worry about dripping something on their clothes. Finger foods that can be eaten in one or two bites are perfect. Plus, variety is important. In this age of gluten-free, vegan, low-carb, food allergies, etc., you’ll need to know your guests’ tastes to ensure that you have something that will appeal to everyone.

How much to prepare  is always a dilemma. According to Bill, eight to 12 hors d’oeuvres per person is usually a safe bet. They can be augmented with cheese, crackers, veggies, fruit, nuts, dips and desserts.

The same holds true for beverages. To keep it simple, serve a selection of wine and beer, plus devise a signature cocktail such as a mojito or martini that is holiday-oriented. Also, be sure to have non-alcoholic beverages on hand.

One last tip: allow yourself to enjoy your own party, and hire a few people to oversee the bar, the displays of food, and to gather discarded plates and glasses, etc. Employment agencies, such as Mack Hospitality Employment, specialize in such scenarios. Also, you might want to work with a rental company to ensure you have plenty of glassware and small-sized plates available.

Grilled Cheese Hors d’sandwich

Grilled Cheese Hors d’sandwich

Slip in some bacon, and it would become so 2016.

Gingerbread Apple Crisp Martini &
Grand Poinsettia Cocktail

Gingerbread Apple Crisp Martini & Grand Poinsettia Cocktail

Pomegranate: no explanation necessary!

Shrimp and King Crab Cocktail Canapés

Shrimp and King Crab Cocktail Canapés

Bill’s assessment that simple is sometimes better applies to this canapé. Here, shrimp and king crab are the stars of the show. Making your own cocktail sauce? Be sure to add Long’s Horseradish from Central Market.

Sweet Potato and Lobster Shooters

Sweet Potato and Lobster Shooters

Bill observed that nothing hits the spot on a cold day like soup. He also coached that even the simplest of recipes can become the star of a party with the addition of a special ingredient. Here, he took a straightforward recipe for sweet potato soup and added a treat for the palate: lobster. And to make it party worthy, serve it as a shooter. And, don’t worry, shooter – or shot – glasses are easy to locate. Walmart, Amazon, Pier One and Party City all have glass and/or plastic versions on their websites, as does Overstock.com. Another fun idea would be to visit antiques stores or shops specializing in vintage and buy shot glasses from the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Dessert Bites

Dessert Bites

Bill proved that a little ingenuity can go a long way with this dessert canapé. He simply purchased jam-filled tarts at the grocery store and added a festive touch with fresh fruit and sprigs of mint. Whipped cream is optional! Put them on a pretty plate and guests will think you spent the day creating the sweet treats.

Mistletoe Mojito

Mistletoe Mojito

Mojitos have never been more popular! Drink recipes courtesy of Bacardi.