Bronte Creek Homestead Christmas

On December 3rd I took my daughter Hannah and her adorable friend Kate to Bronte Creek Provincial Park where we were treated to their special Homestead Christmas experience!  This weekend event throughout December sells out each year, so we were glad we booked early and scored our spots back in October.  (Moms: mark that down in your calendar now to make sure you get a spot in 2012!)

We got a taste of what Christmas was like back at the turn of the century – and no, young-people-reading-this, not when 1999 turned into 2000...I’m talking about the other turn of the century, when 1899 became 1900! 

Bronte Creek is a special place for my family, since my mom actually lived in the farmhouse there when she was a kid, not too many years before it became a provincial park.  My grandparents and great grandparents were farmers there, and built the Spruce Lane Farmhouse you can now tour when you visit.  I bet my mother never imagined thousands of people would one day be traipsing through her old bedroom and peeking around!  How crazy is that?

The kids got to do a bunch of Christmas crafts, dress up in old-fashioned dresses, learn about the history of the park, and meet Santa too!  They even got to taste Mrs. Claus’ famous cookie recipe and drink some warm apple cider. 

Homestead Christmas is a great tradition to enjoy with your family, but no matter what time of year, Bronte Creek is a great park to explore.  It’s open all winter long and those chilly winter weekends are a great time to hike the trails, skate at the giant ice rink, or play in the Children’s Barn!  In many ways winter is the best time to go there, since it’s a little less busy than the summer, and parking spaces are aplenty while pesky lineups are not!  

So the next wintery morning you wake up cringing because you’re thinking to yourself that you have totally run out of ideas of what to do with your kids, or yourself for that matter, grab your scarf and mittens and head over to my mom’s old place (also known more commonly as Bronte Creek Park). Trust me, you’ll have a wintery Burlington blast!

Victoria Hughes, Guest Blogger

Victoria Hughes is a local entrepreneur, social media specialist and website & blog author. Born in Burlington and living in the GTA her whole life, her professional career has taken her through the diverse worlds of leadership consulting, fashion retail management, fine dining, communications technology and online travel. After launching her own business in 2008, she began authoring the daily Girl It Up! fashion and discount blog, tweets on topics of the day @vbhughes and recently spearheaded a site full of guidelines and resources to keep youth safe & smart as they explore the ever-changing world of social media: safesocialmedia.ca . Her greatest loves are travel, shoes, laughter and family. 

Homestead Christmas at Bronte Creek

Yesterday we headed off to Bronte Creek Provincial Park for a much anticipated visit with Santa Claus.  While the weather outside left us wet and a bit chilly it did not dampen our spirits.  I have a 3 year old and a 5 month old - you can guess which one was most excited about today’s adventure.

In the past we have visited other similar Christmas attractions and the bar was set high for Bronte Creek to deliver a family friendly event that would become a childhood memory for years to come.  I have to say that they did not disappoint. 

You start your visit at the “Christmas Store” which is a transformed picnic shelter with Victorian table top bowling and other arts and crafts suitable for both young and older children.  There is also a small selection of “goods” available at the store.  With rain teeming down outside this part of the day may have lacked some of the Christmas feel but it didn’t stop my kids from having fun.

Once the group has gathered (our group had 2 families) you head off to the Spruce Lane Farmhouse.  We walked over huddled under our umbrellas and I am sure when the snow falls this will be a great part of the whole experience.  Our guide Erin provided us with some history along the way and engaged the children in the group with questions and facts about the Victorian era.  Once inside our coats were taken and we warmed up for our house tour.  In the sitting room the kids had a chance to see the types of gifts that would have been under their Christmas tree over 100 years ago.  They were able to play with them and while there is no threat to that X-box coming off the wish list, I think they really liked the simplicity of the old wooden toys.  Next Erin read “The Night Before Christmas” to the group and then we continued our tour.  During the house tour there is a nice mix of historical information and a chance to wander room to room getting a feel for life in the 1900’s.  The last stop is the kitchen to make another craft and enjoy some hot cider and freshly baked (and quite yummy) cookies baked in the cook stove on site!

One at a time families are brought from the farmhouse to Santa’s “house” a short walk outside where we saw Santa’s sled tucked away in the barn ready for Christmas Eve.  Once inside Santa’s our entire family was given Victorian costumes to wear (even the baby got decked out).  My three year old wasn’t sure why she needed to dress up but she enjoyed it all the same.  Mrs. Claus came to retrieve us and bring us back to where Santa was working.  Mrs. and Mr. Claus were great and very authentic.  My daughter was thrilled when Santa told her stories about his reindeer and her initial nervousness disappeared immediately.  One special thing that they do at this event is get a couple of facts about your child ahead of time that Santa can mention when he is talking to them. Expect saucer eyes as they realize that Santa does know everything about them!  After some chit-chat we all headed to Santa’s chair for pictures.  Bronte Creek has a photographer on hand that shoots candid shots and then you get a USB stick at the end to take home, which was great as we got some family shots and some of the kids as well.  After your visit Mrs. Claus escorts you to the door with some kind words for the kids, costumes are taken off and you are brought back to the Christmas Store where it all began to continue with Arts and Crafts or to head out and enjoy the park’s many features such as the playbarn and ice-rink (weather-permitting).

We had a great day and would definitely return to Homestead Christmas next year.  For those that still want to go visit the website for dates and pricing.  Thank you to the staff who were especially great with my 3 year-old answering all her questions and helping her with the activities. 

Guest Blogger - Linda