Christmas Past: 400 Years of Seasonal Traditions in English Homes

Recapture the magic of Christmases past at London's Geffrye Museum.

Christmas Through the Ages at the Geffrye Museum

Every year the Geffrye Museum decorates its 11 period rooms in an authentic festive style. 

You can peek into living rooms dating from the 17th century to the 1990s, and see how the inhabitants would have prepared for Christmas.

Discover the rich and colourful Christmas traditions of the past, many of which have been forgotten about in the modern age.

An Eco Christmas In London

To complement the Geffrye Museum's Eco Home exhibition, this year's Christmas Past display has a make do and mend theme.

Focusing on all things homemade, Christmas Past explores the alternatives to a costly, commercial Christmas.

Christmas Events at the Geffrye Museum

To accompany the Christmas Past exhibition, there's a series of exciting events for adults and children.

Christmas Events for Adults

• Vintage Christmas Decorations
  Create a unique range of Christmas decorations using recycled fabrics
  5 Dec, 11.30am-4.30pm
  Tickets £25 (includes all materials)

• Period Room Talk: A 1950s Christmas
  12 Dec, 11.30am and 3pm

• Swags and Garlands Workshop
  Use greenery, seed pods, dried fruits, spices and recycled materials to create environmentally sound Christmas decorations
  12 Dec, 1.30-4.30pm
  Tickets £30 (includes short talk and all materials)

• Concert by Candlelight
  Acclaimed group Bocca Aperta performs a recital of a cappella Christmas music
  16 Dec, concert begins at 8pm, museum opens at 7.30pm
  Tickets £14 in advance (includes a glass of sherry or port and a mince pie)

Christmas Events for Families

• Christmas Carols
  Sing your favourite carols with Andrea Robinson
  5 December, 2-3pm

• Family Evening: Find Your Festive Spirit
  Christmas open evening with an eco theme, including talks, live festive music, and a Christmas card workshop for children
  10 Dec, 5-8pm. Free admission

• Farewell to Christmas
  Traditional burning of the holly and the ivy, with carol singing, stories, mulled wine and Twelfth Night cake. The event takes place in the garden so wrap up warm!
  6 Jan, 4-5pm. Free admission