History Center’s Holiday Spirit program tries to make Christmas past more present

There will be more ghosts of Christmases past and spirits greeting guests than you can shake a candy cane at during an event called the Holiday Spirit on Saturday.

Not to worry. The Atlanta History Center, which is hosting the family-friendly program, hasn’t suddenly been taken over by apparitions.

The ghosts and spirits, all friendly, are part of the attraction’s Meet the Past initiative, intended to bring history to life for visitors and expand the way the center shares stories through “immersive” experiences.

So, at the Smith Family Farm, the Ghost of 1862 will welcome you and set the stage for interpretation of what a Christmas visit to that farmhouse (originally sited east of Atlanta and moved to the center’s grounds in the early 1970s) was like in the 19th century.

Across the way at the Swan House, the Ghost of 1933 does similar duty, welcoming you before you encounter actors portraying the elegant Buckhead mansion's maid, chauffeur and gardener. They color in details of how the Edward H. Inman family found joy in the holidays even during the Great Depression.

Inside the Atlanta History Museum, other period interpreters will expand on the permanent exhibits on view, including ones portraying Adrienne Herndon, wife of Atlanta’s first African-American millionaire, Alonzo Herndon; and a member of the 54th Regiment, one of the Union Army’s first African-American units.

These “Journeys to Holidays Past” open-house tours and exhibit encounters, scripted by playwright Addae Moon and orchestrated by Meet the Past project director Catherine Hughes, are key attractions during the Holiday Spirit but hardly the only ones. There will also be storytelling and songs, Radio Disney kids’ activities and games (11 a.m.-1 p.m.), crafts for sale, and a visit from Saint Nick.

For another flavor of old Atlanta, Percival the Pink Pig, which carried generations of small fry on Christmas rides through the toy department and across the rooftop of the downtown Rich’s department store, will be on view.

Meanwhile, a new history center holiday exhibit, Passport to Celebrations, a show of tablescapes and vignettes illustrating 20 international holidays, tips its cap to the multicultural city Atlanta has become.