Hudson River Museum Celebrates the Holidays with Festive Victorian Decor, Fashion Experts, and Dueling Pianos
YONKERS, NY, November 21, 2024—The Hudson River Museum is gearing up for the holidays with festive Victorian decorations in Glenview, the Museum’s Gilded Age historic home, as well as a series of fun, family-friendly events and new programs throughout the season. This year’s holiday decorations, on view in Glenview from November 29 through December 29, 2024, showcase festive Christmas trees, garlands, and wreaths throughout the period rooms, Gilded Age costumes, a new tablescape in the Dining Room, and new this year, original kissing balls created by local artists.
Our stunning rainbow tree holds court in the Parlor surrounded by antique toys. The Dining Room will feature a dramatic hanging ornament “cone” under the chandelier, as well as a gilded tablescape, was designed by Debra Blair Design. A trustee of the Hudson River Museum, Debra Blair has donated her service.
New this year! The HRM commissioned local artists Nancy Mendez, Librado Romero, and Rachel Sydlowski, as well as designer Debra Blair, to create unique kissing balls. During Victorian times, romantics hung kissing balls in doorways as an invitation for couples to engage in otherwise forbidden public displays of affection. Originally, kissing balls were created by securing pieces of evergreen, mistletoe, fragrant herbs, and more into an apple or potato as their base.
In addition, a wooden sleigh from the Museum’s collection bearing the date 1794 will be on display in the Museum lobby. The sleigh was donated to the Museum in 1949 by Colonel John Stilwell, along with a photograph of himself riding it as a child, pulled by two ponies. This Giving Tuesday (Tuesday, December 3), all those who make a donation to the HRM will have their name prominently featured on a wrapped present in the sleigh.
Related Programs
Holiday Kick-Off
Friday, November 29–Sunday, December 1, 11am–5pm
Celebrate the start of the holiday season at the HRM with a selection of festive programs all weekend! Highlights include Stories from the People of the Longhouse (Friday, 1 & 3pm) with master storyteller Perry Ground and mesmerizing magic shows with Didi Maxx (Saturday, 1 & 3pm). Experience our Gilded Age home decked out for the holidays in Victorian splendor on a Glenview Holiday Tour (Friday–Sunday, 1 & 3pm), create your own colorful patterns and clay pendants in art workshops and a holiday ornament in a science workshop (1–4pm), and enjoy planetarium shows for all ages, including The Sky Tonight: Holiday Edition (Friday–Sunday, 2pm).
Free First Fridays: Dueling Pianos
Friday, December 6, 5–8pm
Two pianists, accompanied by drums, battle it out with songs ranging from classic rock to contemporary, in a high-energy, impromptu comedic performance by The Flying Ivories Dueling Pianos fueled by audience requests. In addition, enjoy highlights of Glenview on special guided holiday tours throughout the evening; get creative in a bilingual art workshop with Carolina Amarillo in the galleries; and enjoy a cash bar and our current exhibitions. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
A History of High Style in the Gilded Age
Saturday, December 7, 3pm
Join fashion historian Stéphane Houy-Towner in Glenview, decorated for the holidays, as he delves into the elegant and elaborate fashions of the Gilded Age. Discover how clothing choices reflected social status, evolving silhouettes, and the influence of French and American styles. This talk connects to themes in No Bodies: Clothing as Disruptor. Tickets: $25; HRM Members $20; includes general admission.
A Gilded Age Holiday: Live Opera in Glenview
Saturday, December 14, 3:30pm
Celebrate the holiday season with our annual concert in Glenview, in partnership with the Yonkers Chaminade Club. Internationally acclaimed soprano Korliss Uecker, baritone and pianist James Rensink, and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra principal cellist Jerry Grossman will delight with a program of holiday favorites, popular period songs, and opera arias from the late-nineteenth century. Tickets: $30; HRM and Chaminade Members $25; includes general admission.
School’s Out, Stars Are In (SOSI)
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday, December 23, 24, 26, & 27, 11am–5pm
During the holiday week, students and their families are invited to enjoy all the HRM has to offer. Enjoy current exhibitions and engage in interactive art and science workshops including Paper Bag Snowflakes and Snow Buddies. Experience a tour of Glenview, festively decorated for the season, or choose from a variety of planetarium shows, including a new Laser Taylor Swift show!
#HRMHolidays #HRMHolidayKickoff
Press contacts:
Jeana Wunderlich
jwunderlich@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x240
Samantha Hoover
shoover@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x216
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The Hudson River Museum is a preeminent cultural institution in Westchester County and the New York metropolitan area. The Museum is situated on the banks of the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York, with a mission to engage, inspire, and connect diverse communities through the power of the arts, sciences, and history.
The HRM offers engaging experiences for every age and interest, with an ever-evolving collection of American art and dynamic exhibitions that range from notable nineteenth-century paintings to contemporary art installations. The campus, which recently expanded to include a West Wing with exhibition galleries and sweeping views of the Hudson River, features Glenview, an 1877 house on the National Register of Historic Places; a state-of-the-art planetarium; an environmental teaching gallery; and an outdoor amphitheater. The Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting these multidisciplinary offerings, which are complemented by an array of public programs that encourage creative expression, collaboration, and artistic and scientific discovery. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), an honor awarded to only 3% of museums nationwide.
Hours and Admission: The Hudson River Museum is open to the public Wednesday–Friday, from 12–5pm, and Saturday–Sunday, from 11am–5pm. On Free First Fridays, the Museum is open and free of charge on the first Friday of the month, from 5–8pm. Learn more and purchase tickets at hrm.org/visit.
General Admission: Adults $13; Youth (3–18) $8; Seniors (65+) $9; Students (with valid ID) $9; Veterans $9; Children (under 3) FREE; Members FREE; Museums for All* $2, *SNAP/EBT card with photo ID (up to 4 people). Planetarium tickets: Adults $7; Youth (3–18) $5; Seniors (65+) $6; Students (with valid ID) $6; Veterans $6; Children (under 3) Free. Glenview tours: Adults $7; Youth (3–18) $5; Seniors (65+) $6; Students (with valid ID) $6; Veterans $6; Children (under 3) Free. The Museum is accessible by Metro-North (Hudson Line—Yonkers and Glenview stations), by Bee-Line Bus Route #1, by car, and by bike. If you plan on taking Metro-North Railroad to Glenwood Station and want to leave your car behind, you can save on discounted round-trip rail fare and discounted admission by getting an MTA Away package. Learn more here.
