Get in the holiday spirit with Yuletide at Winterthur

Yuletide at Winterthur is on view through January 5, 2025. Seven contemporary artists whose works are inspired by the collections in the museum, garden, and library are featured amid the traditional festive splendor seen on tours of the historic mansion. Yuletide at Winterthur also includes a large-scale gingerbread “house,” a magical 18-room dollhouse, jazz and cocktails on Wednesday evenings, and enchanting decorations and outdoor lighting inspired by the woodlands on the estate.

Contemporary artists

The featured artists on the Yuletide tour are part of Transformations: Contemporary Artists at Winterthur. The exhibition, on view through January 5, welcomes visitors to discover how the old influences the new—forging connections across communities, transforming our perspectives about history, and commenting on our lives today. Most of the artists in Transformations took part in the Maker–Creator Research Fellowship program, which invites artists, writers, filmmakers, horticulturists, craftspeople, and other creative professionals to immerse themselves in Winterthur’s collections.

Decorated trees and outdoor whimsy

The Yuletide tour includes several lavishly decorated trees, including the traditional Dried-Flower Tree as well as trees inspired by pop art of the 1960s, a Japanese maple in the garden, and the 48 shades of green paint in the historic mansion. Outside, enjoy a twinkling holiday light display inspired by the woodlands at Winterthur.

Yuletide events include Wonderful Wednesdays on December 4, 11, and 18, featuring some of the area’s best jazz, seasonal cocktails, and special workshops, one-man performances of “A Christmas Carol” by the great-great-grandson of literary master Charles Dickens, a candlelight concert by OperaDelaware, Brunch with Santa, and more.

Gingerbread “House” and Dollhouse          

A large-scale gingerbread recreation of the enormous dairy barn on the estate will be on display, created by Bredenbeck’s Bakery of Germantown. An 18-room dollhouse, exquisitely furnished with more than 1,000 miniatures, will also be on view.

During Yuletide, Winterthur is open seven days a week with extended hours on select Wednesday evenings. Tickets can be purchased on-site or online at Winterthur.org.

Brandywine Festival of the Arts makes the holidays special

About 150 of the region’s finest artists and artisans will return to the Wilmington Riverfront on Dec. 21 and 22 to ring in the season at the Brandywine Holiday Festival of the Arts. 

The event at the Chase Center will bring indoors many of the painters, jewelry makers, potters, photographers and fabric artists who have made the Brandywine Festival of the Arts the must-go September show for the area’s art lovers for more than 60 years. 

The festival is an opportunity to complete holiday gift shopping while interacting with popular artists and fellow art lovers. Featured at this year’s holiday fest will be artist and designer Rick Hidalgo, an A.I. du Pont High School graduate whose works include paintings, sculpture and woodcraft.  

Hidalgo, whose work has been displayed at museums and galleries in Delaware, Philadelphia and in the 2023 Famous International Artist Invitational Exhibition at the Sunshine Contemporary Art Museum in Beijing, China, says he “strives to elevate everyday objects into compelling works of art, inviting viewers to experience the sensory qualities of each creation.”

Hidalgo has had no formal art training after high school, but worked for five years as a hair stylist, which, he said, “is in some respects the same as painting and sculpting.” 

He later took education classes and became an art teacher at Nativity Prep in Wilmington while developing his artistic style in his spare time. He enjoys exploring what he can create with the materials available to him, which includes making his own oil-based paints and exploring encaustic painting, adding colored pigments to a hot wax medium and applying them to a wood surface. He now does most of his work at a warehouse studio in Newport, next to the studio of painter/sculptor Dennis Beach, one of his mentors.

Barry Schlecker of Barry’s Events, the event’s producer, launched the festival last year at the suggestion of artists who wanted the opportunity to showcase their work ahead of the holiday season. Many of the artists who participated last year will return. 

The roster of exhibitors includes Wilmington painter and folk artist Eunice LaFate, jewelry maker Olga Ganoudis, well-known for her licensed works for the “Game of Thrones” television series, painter Rick Phillips, photographer and visual artist Eric Zippe, Jimmy Thompson of the City Painting Group, known for paintings of Wilmington buildings, Sue Ann Cox, “The Fairy Potter,” Sandy Askey-Adams, who focuses on inspirational paintings of natural scenes, and jewelry maker Cheryl Titcher, who specializes in animal themes.

Also exhibiting will be glassmaker Gregory Losco, potter Lindsey Ostafy, jeweler Oksana Pivush, Smashed Label painter/designer/muralist Crae Washington, and sculptor Brian Marshall who creates whimsical robots and fish from recycled materials.

In addition to artists, the festival will feature food vendors, live music and entertainment, face painting by Dori Fostok and other children’s activities. 

Angel’s Retreat, a volunteer-run animal rescue organization, will be the festival's featured non-profit. They promote responsible ownership of companion animals, are a resource for homeless animals, provide hospice care for senior and special needs dogs and they encourage adoption. Angel’s Retreat will have animals available for adoption throughout the weekend.

The two-day festival will be a highlight of the season on the Wilmington Riverfront, which will also host an array of holiday-themed events. Visitors to the Riverfront’s breakfast and lunch with Santa programs on December 21 will receive free admission to the festival.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 21 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 22. Daily admission will be $5, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Parking at the Riverfront is always free. For more information, go to https://brandywineholiday.com.

Somerville Manning Gallery presents an exhibition by Sarah McRae Morton

The Somerville Manning Gallery concludes the year with an exhibition of the work of Sarah McRae Morton. The exhibition is on view through Dec. 31. Morton grew up in rural Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, where she still keeps a hayloft studio above the horse stalls in her family’s barn. She attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and has trained under artists Myron Barnstone in Coplay, Pennsylvania and Odd Nerdrum in Norway. The Somerville Manning Gallery presents museum-quality works of art and offers personalized support in all aspects of art collecting, including placing works in private collections and museums internationally, as well as assisting its clients in the development of their personal collections. For 40 years, the gallery has offered and exhibited significant works of American art, showcasing its trajectory from the Brandywine Tradition to the American Modernism, Post-War, and Contemporary movements through many critically acclaimed shows while also working with countless museums and institutions to help build their collections. For more information, visit www.somervillemanning.com.

Make handmade felt ornaments at the Hockessin Library

Spend an evening sewing an original felt holiday ornament at the Hockessin Library on Monday, Dec. 16. Choose from different patterns or bring your own. This class is presented by The Art Studio and teaching artist Sarah Dressler. All levels of artists are welcome. The event takes place in the library’s small Community Room from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The library is located at 1023 Valley Road in Hockessin. For more information, call 302-239-5160 visit delawarelibraries.org.

The Wilmington & Western Railroad plans holiday activities

Visit the Wilmington & Western Railroad for unique opportunities for fun this holiday season. Full details about the Wilmington & Western’s programs can be found on the website at www.wwrr.com. Holiday highlights include the Santa Claus Express and the Holiday Lights Express.

Why stand in line at the mall and wait to see Santa, when you can ride the train and have Santa come to you? The Jolly Old Elf rides the train and greets everyone on board, and gives all children a special treat. Be sure to bring your camera and have Santa pose for pictures with your child during this 90-minute round-trip to Ashland.

Or, experience the magic of riding aboard the festively decorated, 100-year-old heated coaches, each of which is covered in thousands of holiday lights. Many of the trackside neighbors also decorate their homes and yards for our passengers to enjoy during this one-hour evening trip through the Red Clay Valley.

Holidays at Hagley

Holidays at Hagley returns and will feature Holiday Home and Garden Tours, the seventh-annual Gingerbread House Contest, Santa Day, Holiday Nights Tours, and more. 

Holidays at Hagley will take place now through January 1, 2025.

In the du Pont Family Home exhibition, tour Eleutherian Mills and encounter the holiday decorations and traditions of multiple generations of the du Pont family. This year’s theme, “White Christmas,” reminisces on the outdoor and indoor activities the du Pont family relished as the glittering snow fell along the Brandywine. Tours are held daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the last house tour starting at 3 p.m.

In the Gingerbread House Contest, stop by and see the festive entries in Hagley's annual Gingerbread House Contest. Entries created by local individuals and families will be on display throughout the holiday season in the Hagley Barn. 

Use Hagley's Main Entrance off Route 141 in Wilmington, Del. To purchase tickets or for more information about Holidays at Hagley, visit www.hagley.org.