Historical Museum Gives Glimpse of Simple Christmases of Yesteryear

The Sea Isle City Historical Museum is celebrating the holidays in a distinctly old-fashioned way – harkening back to those Christmases of long, long ago.

The quaint museum held its annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, allowing visitors to admire the vintage toys, colorful ornaments, wreaths, bows and poinsettia plants that adorn the exhibit areas.

Long before smartphones, laptops and flat-screen TVs became all the rage, children would wake up on Christmas morning and find simple toys waiting for them under the tree. Pin the tail on the donkey, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and Tiddlywinks were among the old-fashioned games that would amuse girls and boys in those days.

Some of those classic toys and games are on display at the museum for Christmas, giving visitors a glimpse of just how uncomplicated holidays used to be for many families.

Museum volunteer Marie Peltier said visitors are able to step back into the past to discover the simple Christmases of yesteryear.

“It does let you do that,” Peltier said. “It’s especially true for visitors who have never been here before. It’s kind of an awakening for them to see what we have here. I think it’s an eye-opener for everybody.”

    An old "Christmas Open House" sign discovered in a storage bin this year greets visitors at the museum's front entrance.
  

Peltier mentioned one local couple that stopped in for the open house to see the museum for the very first time and came away impressed. The couple previously was unaware that the museum existed.

“I honestly think we need to do more advertising. There are a lot of people who live in Sea isle who don’t know that we’re here,” Peltier said.

The museum occupies a wing of the Cape May County Library at 4800 Central Ave. It brims with thousands of historic keepsakes, some of them predating Sea Isle’s founding in 1882 by visionary real estate magnate Charles K. Landis. Research material includes thousands of photographs, maps, books, pamphlets, and personal remembrances.

Mary Anne Owings, a Sea Isle resident who stopped in for the open house, browsed through a collection of old photos and marveled over the museum’s vintage displays.

“They do a nice job. It’s very well done,” Owings said of the exhibits and decorations. “To get your hands on some of this stuff is impressive.”

    Visitor Mary Anne Owings, a Sea Isle resident, looks through a collection of old photos.
  

Joyce Molter, the museum’s president, is hopeful that the holiday open house will introduce the museum to even more visitors.

“We want to offer something to the community that is special and that they can come in and enjoy,” Molter said.

Molter is ending her two-year reign as museum president in 2025 and will be succeeded by Mary Pat Padula.

The open house was free to the public. Visitors dined on hoagies, holiday cookies and other treats. Entertainment was provided by acoustic guitarist Peter Greco, who will become the museum’s new vice president next year.

To prepare for the open house, Molter and the museum’s curator, Abby Powell, scoured through a storage bin in search of Christmas artifacts and decorations. They were surprised to find a red “Christmas Open House” sign that was used in the past. They decided to hang the sign on the museum’s front door to greet visitors arriving for this year’s open house.

    Christmas decorations give a festive touch to the museum's centerpiece exhibit of vintage wedding gowns worn by Sea Isle brides.
  

The Christmas touches are blended in with the museum’s historic artifacts, some of which date to the 1800s.

The museum’s centerpiece exhibit features more than 20 vintage wedding gowns worn by Sea Isle brides. The exhibit is dressed up for the holidays with poinsettia plants, a Christmas tree and a Santa figure.

Perhaps what symbolizes the museum’s simple holiday atmosphere as much as anything is a collection of Christmas figurines and a snowman that greet visitors at the front desk.

More information on the Sea Isle City Historical Museum, including the operating hours, is available by visiting www.seaislemuseum.com or calling (609) 263-2992. The museum will be closed in January and February for winter.

    Peter Greco, who becomes the museum's vice president in 2025, plays acoustic guitar for entertainment at the open house.
  

    Christmas figurines decorate the museum's front desk.