Trish and I did
Illumination at Colborne Lodge: Christmas Ghost Stories this evening. It was dark and rainy out … perfect atmosphere for a ghost tour! The Toronto History Museums guides were entertaining and informative.
As the year's longest night approaches, come gather indoors to share cold weather traditions from the past and present: holiday decorations, singing to lighten the heart and a live candle-lit reading of a unique genre of literature - the Victorian Christmas ghost story.
After a short tour of cozy Colborne Lodge and the singing of a seasonal song, the evening finishes with warm beverages, sweet treats and a live reading of a spooky seasonal story.
We started in the coach house where there were lots of exhibits.
Bruce let us know what we were to expect for the evening.
Then he took us outside where we split up into three groups.
We headed to Colborne Lodge.
Our group started in the drawing room (aka living room).
The yule log, which after we traditionally tapped it with twigs, we discovered was full of candy!
We got the history of holiday cards in John Howard's study.
In the dining room, we played a brief game of steeple chase (Trish and I won!).
In the summer kitchen, we learned about the tradition of Mari Lwyd, a wassailing folk custom in South Wales. The tradition entails the use of an hobby horse made from a horse's skull mounted on a pole and visiting neighbours.
We did some caroling with a round.
We were led back outside and joined up with the other two groups and sang the round.
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| Trish and I with Mari Lywd |
Inside the coach house was hot apple cider and cookies. Yum!
Bruce read a ghost story from the 1880s.
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