CAZENOVIA — This holiday season, the Lorenzo mansion will open its doors to the public from Dec. 5-10 to celebrate Christmas at Lorenzo: “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
The New York State historic site hosted its first Christmas at Lorenzo program in 1974.
“Christmas at Lorenzo has become a tradition for many folks in Central New York, and we are thrilled to continue that this year with ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas,’” said Historic Site Manager Matthew MacVittie. “Please join us to view the beautifully decorated mansion and take a horse-drawn sleigh/wagon ride through the beautiful grounds of Lorenzo State Historic Site.”
In preparation for the celebration, volunteer decorators were each assigned one of the gifts detailed in the classic English Christmas carol and invited to use their creativity to incorporate that theme into their holiday adornments.
According to Interpretive Programs Assistant Jacqueline Roshia, the entire mansion, including the two historic bathrooms on view, has been decorated.
This year’s volunteer decorators include Wendy Van der Bogart; Elizabeth and Nancy Whiting; Syracuse Garden Club members Pat Hill, Pam Ellis, and Judy Larter; Linda and Jeffrey Kellish; Barbara Bartlett; Kathleen Conway Hoak; Dixie Conway; Jaime Colvin; Mark Smith; Kerstin and Megan McKay; Elizabeth Koennecke; Beth Duffy; Laura Loveland-Leitch; Susan Anthony; Mary Gasparini; Kristen Rubacka; and Lorenzo Driving Competition members Carol Buckhout, Cindy Torelli, Carol Ilacqua, Judy Sears, Marjie Tormey, Weese Sullivan, Janis Barth, Peter Barth, Taylor Pelcher, Courtney Livecchi, and Sue Woltman.
“I have decorated different rooms at Lorenzo for at least 10 years,” said Ellis, who is vice president of the Syracuse Garden Club. “Is anything nicer than being a part of Christmas at Lorenzo? It is always special to use various pieces from the Lorenzo collection when decorating the rooms.”
According to Roshia, the entire Lorenzo staff is involved in making the Christmas event happen each year.
This year, staff decorator Elizabeth Whiting worked with her mother, Nancy, in the formal dining room. Whiting also worked with staff member Melinda Reeder to decorate the mansion exhibit wing and gift shop.
“Alison Boissonnas, also known as Rippleton Schoolhouse Marm Miss Buckland, will have the schoolhouse decorated, [and] our maintenance staff — Jennifer Quinn, Jeremy Bushaw, Tommy Eberl, and Spencer Eberst — do all the outside decorating, including a festive photo-op spot in the Dark Aisle.,” said Roshia.
Traditional guided mansion tours will be offered from Tuesday, Dec. 5 through Friday, Dec. 8, from 1 to 4 p.m.
With support from the Friends of Lorenzo (FOL), the celebration will continue with tours of the decorated mansion, live music, wassail and sweet treats, and horse-drawn sleigh/wagon rides with Lamplit Farm on Thursday, Dec. 7, and Friday, Dec. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 10, from 1 to 4 p.m.
On Dec. 10, the sleigh/wagon ride will take visitors to the Rippleton Schoolhouse to meet the schoolmarm, Miss Buckland, and make a holiday ornament to take home.
As visitors tour the mansion on Dec. 7, Laine Gilmore will play seasonal favorites on the piano in the drawing room while the Chord Wood Quartet sings holiday classics on the second floor. The Belle Aire Handbell Trio will ring in the holidays on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9, and the Cazenovia High School Chamber Choir will sing traditional carols on Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. in the visitor center. On Dec. 10, Bells and Motley will evoke the spirit of Christmas past in the mansion, and Merry Mischief’s “Mr. and Mrs. Claus” will delight guests of all ages.
Visitors can stop in the gift shop to peruse a variety of distinctive giftable items and take advantage of the end-of-season sale.
Admission is $6 for adults and $2 for children ages 12 and under. Cash is preferred for admission fees.
Located at 17 Rippleton Rd. in Cazenovia, Lorenzo is the 1807 Federal-style home of John Lincklaen, who was an agent of the Holland Land Company and Cazenovia’s founder. The Lincklaen/Ledyard family continually occupied Lorenzo until the property and its contents were conveyed to New York State in 1968. The site is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and supported with help from the non-profit FOL.
For more information on Lorenzo’s holiday celebration, call 315-655-3200 or visit friendsoflorenzo.org/annual-events.
