SHEBOYGAN — Step back in time and experience the magic of mid-20th century Christmas at the Sheboygan County Museum, where you can see vintage holiday displays from the popular local department store H.C. Prange.
The museum's "Holiday Memories" exhibit recreates the extravagant Christmas window displays that once captivated shoppers from the 1930s to 1970s. These aren't replicas. They're the original pieces from Prange's, carefully preserved and displayed in a new setting.
"It brings up a lot of memories from when I was a child," Lisa Mathes, a guest at the museum, said.
"It brings up a lot of memories from when i was a child, so we're talking over 50 years ago. And every year, we would go to see the Christmas display and see Santa at the end of it," Lisa Mathes said.
Paul Scott shared similar sentiments about the nostalgic displays.
"Oh, I just remember going to the Prange's window displays when I was a little kid. It was always the big thing you did on Thanksgiving day. You eat Thanksgiving dinner, and then we'd all hop in the car and drive to Sheboygan and we'd look at Prange's windows," he said.
The 'Holiday Memories' exhibit started in 1991. For the first 10, it was more or less a regular Christmas display. Then in 2001, the museum began to put out the original Prange's pieces which became an instant success.
The exhibit serves two purposes: providing nostalgia for older visitors while introducing younger generations to Christmas traditions of the past. Holiday Memories has become the museum's most popular annual exhibit, drawing thousands of guests each year.
"This tradition is something that we're really proud of, is that we are part of building that tradition for the future," said Brett Lobello, executive director of the Sheboygan County Museum.
To keep the experience fresh, the museum changes characters and displays annually, just as Prange's did. The exhibit even features Bruce the Spruce, a popular talking tree that entertained visitors with greetings and jokes.
"These community traditions which really make us who we are," Lobello said.
Visitors can also explore an additional Christmas exhibit in the adjacent Taylor House, built in the 1850s.
The Holiday Memories exhibit runs through December 30 at the Sheboygan County Museum.
Watch the story to see more of the Holiday Memories display...
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