Abstract
National Park Service curators share best practices for holiday decorating at historic house museums including protecting resources, philosophy and research, and planning and logistics. Racine explores the issues of resource protection including winter weather, evening events, visitor flow, open display, moving objects, fire safety, refreshment policies, and museum pests. Using Hampton NHS as a case study, Weidman outlines the importance of holiday displays being accurate to the time period, particular site, individual inhabitants, and locale. Museum staff should use primary, secondary, and internet sources to research an appropriate holiday installation to support the institution's mission. This research and plans for holiday decorating should be documented in written files or a report. Using Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS as a case study, Henson illustrates the importance of planning and communication for a successful holiday event. McKay, drawing on her experiences at Martin Van Buren NHS, describes a nuanced approach to bringing a popular holiday event in line with curatorial best practices.
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