Enjoy treasures from Christmas past at The National Christmas Center!

Until its permanent home is ready, visitors can now enjoy over 18,000+ square feet of nostalgic Christmas décor in lights, trees, stores and renowned artifacts. The National Christmas Center is housed a short distance from Stone Gables Estate. Seventeen-foot-tall, real-life buildings with artistic architectural features depict the streets of Columbia, Pennsylvania as they were in the 1950’s. Featured storefronts include a walk-in Woolworth’s Store, a Boy’s Toy Store, a Girl’s Toy Store, the Sweet Shoppe featuring Klein Chocolates, Miesse Candies, Byers Bakery, and much more!

Peer in the windows of shops which include Joe – The Motorists’ Friend, Eichhorn’s Store for Men, Watt and Shand, Dave Barton’s Barbershop, The Train Store, and more!

Old favorites such as the animated Tudor Towne which tells the story of forgiveness, a “choir” of over 900 Gurley candles, Pennsylvania handmade Byers’ Choice carolers, Santa’s from around the world, over 1,000 nativities depicted in their native culture, and much more will bring back many nostalgic memories and joys of childhoods gone by. Two new Tudor Town Displays.

Enjoy the National Christmas Center collection, the Toy Soldier store with over 5,000 hand-painted soldiers as part of the world’s finest collection of brass and wood models including ships, planes, trains, and automobiles. See the Anastasia’s Doll Emporium, a collection of the finest dolls and dollhouses around the world. Antiques such as Santa’s, scales, popcorn machines, barber chairs, and more will bring back fond memories of yesteryear.

Another must-see display is the world-class builder’s model of the Titanic located in the Titanic Museum. The Titanic model is 22 feet long, 9 feet tall, and weighs 5,500 lbs. It has eight miles of fiber optic lighting and was constructed according to the original plans of the original Titanic ship. This is a one of a kind display with original plans and photos.

New this year! is a magnificent display by artist Dolph Gotelli. Gotelli has worked as a guest curator and exhibition designer for museums and galleries throughout the nation, including The American Craft Museum in New York, The Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum, The Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento and in alternate spaces in such flagship stores as Neiman-Marcus (Dallas) and Macy’s (San Francisco). His work has been reviewed in scores of publications including Artweek, American Craft, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and Casa Bella. He has also been featured on “CNN,” “Good Day, New York,” and “Good Morning, America.”
Internationally known as “Father Christmas,” due to his collecting of vintage Christmas objects, toys, dolls, and ephemera, Gotelli has designed many holiday exhibitions using his collections of dolls and toys in elaborately detailed tableaux that allow each viewer to imagine a personal story or memory. His installations, known for their imaginative and whimsical content, combine strong design concepts with dynamic visual imagery. His exhibitions have been featured in Smithsonian, House Beautiful, Christian Science Monitor, Visual Merchandising and Store Design, Disney Channel Magazine and in the Italian Design magazine, MCM.

Souvenirs available for purchase.