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KINGSTON TWP. — The Lands at Hillside Farms got an early start on the Christmas season Saturday by holding the first day of its Christmas Tea and Cottage Tour.

The event is both a fundraiser and an opportunity for visitors to see what the holidays were like in Christmases past, according to Guy Kroll, director of events, wood shop manager and safety coordinator for the Lands at Hillside Farms.

More than 200 visitors are expected to attend the event, which continues from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Kroll thanked the numerous volunteers, local students, interested participants from the community and members of the farm’s events committee for their help.

The historic summer cottage located on the farm was decorated in a 1930s-era holiday them.

It didn’t include multi-colored blinking lights, large plastic lighted figures or electronically produced musical jingles of popular Christmas carols.

“The decorating back then was much more simplistic,” Kroll said. “They used colorful plants and ornaments and less lights.”

The management at the farm appreciates the attendance they get for this event each year. In addition, the event fits with the farm’s overall purpose of educating area residents about how a working farm functions.

The public gets a chance to see a holiday home from the very different time up close, Kroll said. They can learn about the history of the farm and farm life, he added.

Volunteers conducted detailed tours of the cottage, emphasizing what life was like without electronic gadgets, cellphones, televisions or computers. Visitors also enjoyed an assortment of homemade sweets, including cookies and desserts with hot cups of tea and other holiday drinks.

Besides the tour and a taste of the holidays way back when, the visitors enjoyed some quality time spent in a “Victorian atmosphere,” Kroll said. They had the chance to sit and converse with friends and volunteers at the farm.

Having just the right pouring technique was Julia Poole, of Kingston, at a Christmas Tea and Cottage Tour at the Cunningham Country Cottage at the Lands at Hillside Farms in Kingston Township on Saturday.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Christmastea3-1.jpg.optimal.jpgHaving just the right pouring technique was Julia Poole, of Kingston, at a Christmas Tea and Cottage Tour at the Cunningham Country Cottage at the Lands at Hillside Farms in Kingston Township on Saturday.

Enjoying a tea and house tour at the Cunningham Country Cottage at the Lands at Hillside Farms were young Emma Salko, right, and her grandmother, Sandy Salko, both of Jackson Township, on Saturday.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Christmastea2-1.jpg.optimal.jpgEnjoying a tea and house tour at the Cunningham Country Cottage at the Lands at Hillside Farms were young Emma Salko, right, and her grandmother, Sandy Salko, both of Jackson Township, on Saturday.

By Ralph Nardone

For Times Leader

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