The teardrop Christmas lights are the first sign that the Burnaby Village Museum is the place to be in Burnaby this holiday season.
The Illuminations at Heritage Christmas display has been open since Dec. 15 and is running until 9 p.m. each day until Jan. 4 (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day).
According to Nancy Stagg, the museum's marketing coordinator, one of the biggest events this holiday season occurs along Hill Street.
"The seasonal Scavenger Hunt: A Taste of Christmas is all about Christmas food traditions," said Stagg. "Visitors can pick up their clue sheets in the Stride Studio and turn completed ones in for a prize at the General Store.
"Many families take on the challenge of the scavenger hunt. The search for answers takes participants around the village and they learn some fun trivia along the way."
Stagg said people can learn such nuggets as: how are the Brothers Grimm related to gingerbread; or how did a sweet Christmas tradition get embroiled in Prohibition.
But it's not just the scavenger hunt that is drawing people to the museum.
Visitors gravitate to the window displays and the warm light shining from within. The windows are full of Christmas ornaments from the 1920s, including Denison's crepe paper decorations. Entertainers can often be heard and seen either inside or just outside.
The bandstand, at the edge of Hill Street, has always been a Heritage Christmas icon with its bright lights and bunting. This year, the bandstand is sharing the spot light with the huge maple tree behind. The maple tree was transformed with wrapped lights, including 5,000 bulbs, 1,000 hung lights and tubes of snowfall lights.
Wreaths on the doors are historically accurate to the 1920s village time period.
The Footlight Theatre performed Sherlock Holmes' Christmas Goose prior to Christmas and have now made way for the Elwoodettes Marionettes' production of Die Fledermaus, The Sequel, which is running from Dec. 31 to Jan. 4, with eight separate showtimes from 1 to 6: 15 p.m.
On Sunday, Dec. 30, from 1 to 3 p.m., there's baking in the Love Farmhouse and people are invited to sample the goodies that come straight from the wood stove oven.
If eating is your pleasure, the Ice Cream Parlour is running its turkey lunch and turkey dinner promotion right until Jan. 4. But there are tasty entrees, desserts, and yes, ice cream, also on the menu.
Keep your eyes peeled for energetic cook Mai Dossa as she makes home cooking look easy.
The last thing you can do at the museum is pay the $2.30 and ride on the vintage carousel that is the highlight of any trip to the Burnaby Village Museum.
The museum is located at 6501 Deer Lake Ave. For more information, go to www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca.
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