Bring the family for a great day experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of an old-fashioned country Christmas. Learn how the holiday traditions of the 19th century differ from those of the 21st through hands-on historical interpretations, carols, traditional decorations, and more!
Activities: Experience a 19th-century Florida Christmas in the Country at Cracker Country. Stroll through the four-acre complex and experience seasonal décor, music, and traditions in 13 original buildings. Guests can collect holiday keepsakes like salt dough ornaments, Christmas card ornaments, and paper ornaments, and discover everyday pioneer chores like churning butter and cleaning laundry with an old-fashioned washboard.
Additional activities include:
$2 Dip a beeswax candle
$2 Twist a Rope
$2 Dye with Indigo
Bee-keeping & honey demonstrations
Pine needle basket weaving
Main Stage: Band information coming soon with performances at 11am, 1pm, & 3pm
Shopping: There are lots of unique holiday gifts to be found at the General Store! The store features nostalgic and reproduction items, historical toys and games, books, candy, and other unique gifts. The General Store accepts cash, debit, and credit cards. Proceeds from sales in the General Store help support Cracker Country’s field trip programs.
The Decorations: Before the era of electric lights and mass-produced ornaments, rural families created holiday decorations using materials that were readily available or made by hand. In Florida, this often meant decorating with palmetto fronds, Florida holly, magnolia branches, pinecones, and citrus fruits. Additional ornaments were crafted from everyday items—sewn from scraps of fabric or shaped and baked at home, such as salt dough decorations. These simple, natural elements reflected both creativity and resourcefulness, bringing a festive spirit to the home through handmade and locally gathered items.
Christmas Holiday Traditions: Christmas was a time to gather the family and enjoy the festivities of the season, such as a holiday meal. A traditional holiday meal in a rural Florida home often featured a modestly decorated table, sometimes including a small Christmas tree adorned with gifts and homemade ornaments. Decorations commonly made use of natural materials such as Florida holly, citrus fruit, palmetto fronds, and magnolia branches, along with popcorn garlands and paper ornaments crafted by hand.
Another country custom was serenading, which grew out of European practices involving celebratory noise-making and the firing of Christmas guns. Groups would travel from farm to farm ringing cowbells and banging on tin pans, and the households they visited were expected to welcome them inside with small gifts, treats, and entertainment.
In wealthier households, children might receive an array of store-bought gifts such as doll beds or toy musical instruments. In contrast, in more rural areas of Florida, most presents were handmade, with only an occasional store-bought item appearing under the tree or in a stocking. Accounts from A Foxfire Christmas describe how many rural Appalachian families received simple gifts like fruit, cakes, or nuts. A single handmade toy might be the only present a child would have until the following year.
