Last Saturday my family and I joined another Candlelight Tour here at HRT.  As we arrived, the village was bustling with staff and volunteers preparing to greet holiday-minded visitors.  Soon everything was washed in a golden light as the aroma of the open hearth mingled with the scent of candles and oil.  Lanterns guided us from century to century as we discovered the holidays past.

One stop was particularly fascinating.  In the Bennett House we found not a Christmas Tree or holly or even those little irresistible olykoeks…mmm.  No, instead a menorah was lit and a dreidel was on the table.  As guests huddled in front of the twinkling light, the tradition of Hanukkah was shared.  This holiday is another part of Richmond life and the larger American experience.  I smiled as visitors expressed their joy at this wonderful addition to the Candlelight Tour.  They saw the connection clearly and were impressed.  The children loved the chocolate gelt as much as the Dutch doughnuts.

I was happy too.  My little group was thrilled with the honest, fresh and warm presentation of cherished family traditions skillfully woven into the American fabric.

Now that ole damp October is behind us, the holiday season is ready to peek around the corner.  In a few weeks, November will roll in with Thanksgiving, followed by December’s Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and the New Year.  It’s a terrific season of holiday traditions.  For many it’s their favorite time of year.  We share stories, recipes and precious moments with our loved ones.

At Historic Richmond Town, the season reminds us of how grateful we are for the tremendous support we continually receive from our friends.  Smart elected officials, far-sighted foundations, hundreds of eager volunteers, dedicated members, generous donors and a savvy Board have made our season bright. Thank you.

A big part of the American tradition is to share the season with family and friends. So our gift to you is a holiday filled with special moments that your family can enjoy together.  We pull back the curtain on American experience to present the holidays as practiced throughout history.

Have you ever experienced a Candlelight Tour?   It’s a must see for anyone interested in the yuletide.  Walk by candlelight through the historic village.  Stop in and visit families from the old days.  Watch as they observe Christmas past.  It is a feast of the senses.  Wood smoke.  Golden candlelight.  Carols.  Pine scent. Spices.  Fresh baked goodies. Centuries of tradition unfold as you are transported to another place and time.

You’ll be surprised by the things you thought you knew about Americans and their holidays.  And you’ll appreciate your own traditions all the more.  My family really enjoys this delicious trip back in history.  It gets us in the mood for own festivities.

The Candlelight Tours can be found by clicking here.

Wait!  Before the Candlelight Tours you’ll want to come to Christmas in Richmond Town.  This is our very own tradition.  Tour the homes in daylight.  Buy handmade holiday decorations.  See Santa.  Stay the night to light the holiday tree.  Warm yourself with hot apple cider over a roaring fire.

Christmas in Richmond Town can be found by clicking here.

These are just a few special things to do at Historic Richmond Town during the holiday.  Why not do them all?

Oops, I almost forgot...may your holiday season be bright, peaceful and full of fun with loved ones.

So we were rained out at the farm today.  That was very disappointing.  There are only so many weekends in October for pumpkin picking.  We really don't want to lose any to bad weather.  Our visitors enjoy it so much.  My own children have a ball up at Decker Farm.

Decker Farm is special.  We are very fortunate to have a dedicated staff that works so hard throughout the year to make Decker Farm a unique rural experience, in a canyon city of over 8 million people.  Our Director of Education, Felicity Beil, shuttles between town and country, perfecting the programs, as she makes her way back and forth between our farm and village sites - both running full steam during October.  She works side by side with a very committed board member, Angela Curty, who has worked for years at the farm, every single day in October.  She runs the public program, while making sure the goodie tent is well supplied and the farm is filled with fun things for the public to do. She also leads our corps of volunteers who give up their spare time to work on the farm (thanks Fred and the gang!).  This team of staff, board members and volunteers puts smiles on kids' faces throughout the season.

Perhaps even more disappointing than the rain is a conversation I had with someone who didn't know that Historic Richmond Town owns and operates an 11 acre farm and that it's the oldest continuously working farm in NYC.  Since 1810 Decker Farm has been farmed as a real farm.  It has never been anything else.  When you walk onto the farm you see the same ten buildings that have graced the site for centuries, still sitting proudly on their original spots.  They are not reconstructed.  They are original.

Since we represent America back then, right up until today, you'll also see some modern additions at the farm like a greenhouse and tractors.  After all, we grow produce for the Greenmarket, pumpkins for our visitors, native plants for NYC Parks and food for our neighbors.  We need contemporary tools to do the job.  We are also not "stuck in the past".  Rather, we demonstrate history and connect the past with the present. We never pretend that the modern world does not exist. We continue to grow with America.

As we grow we are using the digital world more and more.  This web site as well as Facebook, email, video & film production and other communication tools are ways in which we now reach you.  So when Decker Farm was rained out today, the news was up on this site within minutes. And for those people who do not know enough about us I suggest that they check us out on the web.

We now have a large following of savvy people who view our site regurarly to plan interesting things to do with their friends and family.  These fans range from 8 years old to 80.  Since we run over 100 events and programs a year, it is the only place in the world to stay on top of all that we offer.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow - pumpkin picking and Old Home Day - a double feature.

I was thinking about our web opinion poll, “In your opinion, which U.S. President faced the greatest challenge during his time in office?”

Washington, Lincoln, Wilson, Hoover and Roosevelt each dealt with issues that had the potential to wear down or tear down this country.  They also had the opportunity to elevate the nation through these struggles. Some of these leaders fared better than others.  Some were surprises. Each one, but Washington, could look back upon the others and learn.  But even Washington had something in common with the rest – a responsibility to Americans, who put their trust in their president, to lead them through the difficulties into peace and prosperity.

George Washington was never nominated. He ran essentially unopposed. Almost a quarter of the states did not participate in his election.  He came out of retirement to helm a new country based on an original form of government.  Although much of the Constitution was stitched together from bits and pieces that were found elsewhere, America was a brand new package with a fresh set of rules.  Every decision set a precedent.  Any big decision could be an irreparable mistake. Washington had to maintain a fragile unity between a bunch of former colonies distanced by geography, prejudices and local interests.  Previously, these states attempted maturity by joining together under the Confederation.  They failed.  America needed a unifier.  But Washington was not a backslapping friend of the people.  He bowed to friends and colleagues rather than shaking their hands.  He appeared aristocratic, aloof and deferential. Americans wondered...could Washington pull it off?

Fast forward 75 years and we find the 16^th person to hold the office, Abraham Lincoln, struggling to keep the nation, which Washington successfully guided through infancy, from committing suicide.  Lincoln often despaired in the White House as he watched over a half million die struggling for a new kind of freedom.  Many in the nation, including some of his Northern compatriots, believed he was a backwoods, bumbling fool.  “Baboon” was a favorite nickname.  His mistakes almost destroyed the nation he was trying to preserve. He wrestled with decisions that no president had ever had to face.  He sometimes took desperate, unpopular stances.  Americans wondered…does Lincoln have what it takes to succeed?

Woodrow Wilson endured the first global war.  After years of staying detached from struggles on foreign soil, America immersed itself in a nasty trench war that was already claiming millions of lives. The battle for European territorial rights was now an American fight.  And the fight was against Germany.  This was a sensitive scenario - a large number of American immigrants had roots in Germany. The country was divided. The majority did not want war.  Wilson, although he considered himself a man of peace, gave in to war. He believed that when the war was over there would finally be a lasting peace. He had a strategy. If he was successful America would be a player on the world stage.  But the world’s bloodiest conflict dragged on and over 10 million people were being killed.  Americans wondered…does Wilson know what he’s doing?

In 1929, Herbert Hoover, considered by many of his contemporaries as one of the brightest and best that America had to offer, was plunged into an economic vortex that stunned the world.  Americans loved Hoover. His track record was superb. He was a modern, progressive educated man of action.  Nine years before Franklin Roosevelt called him a “wonder.”   But the economy was fragile.  The past fifty years had nurtured many new ways of doing business.  America had pioneered an aggressive style of commerce.  Much was untested. Hoover was dealing with the unknown.  To save the economy he tried a number of things designed to get things back on track.  Things that many believed should have worked. But they didn’t.  They made things worse. He’ was dumfounded.  He became paralyzed.  Americans wondered…does Hoover have a clue?

Franklin Roosevelt stepped into the terrible situation.  He and his advisors didn’t have specific answers.  Roosevelt practiced “bold persistent experimentation” and spent years trying to solve the problems.  Things continued to get worse.  A national magazine slumped its shoulders and announced that the Depression would never end.  It had been over seven years and unemployment was over 20 percent. Under great pressure, Roosevelt, considered solutions from every corner including Nazi Germany, Communist Russia and even Hoover.   When the Second World War broke out the economy received a boost. But now Americans had reason to fear the Nazis and Imperial Japan more than the economy. Roosevelt was rumored to be ill. Americans wondered…is Roosevelt making it better?

So I wonder…don't our past experiences help us though the challenges of today?  Many things change but so many stay the same. It’s easy to forget that, for centuries, Americans have partnered with Presidents who have wrestled with their unique personalities, weaknesses and skills.  Some Presidents were better matched for the tasks than others.  It’s amazing how often their contemporaries were surprised at the outcomes.  Presidents have always been complex human beings who face complex challenges.  For the past two hundred and twenty years, right up until today, Americans have continued to wonder… how will it turn out?