Longing for Christmas the way it used to be?

If you're longing for Christmas the way it used to be, how about a tradition dating back to the 1840s?

Harmony Hall-Jacob Sloat House will be decorated in holiday finery by Sloat descendant Peter Bush and friends for the Greek Revival mansion’s Victorian holiday from 1-5 p.m. Dec. 8.

Live music will be performed by the Hudson Valley Wind and Brass Ensemble as guests enjoy sweet treats, hot mulled cider, children’s crafts, handmade crafts and a visit from Santa from 1:30-2 p.m.

Friends of Harmony Hall, the volunteer, not-for-profit group funding ongoing restoration of the 1848 mansion, have presented events like last summer’s Grateful Dead Tribute Music & Craft Festival and September’s annual bluegrass festival.

Visitors will be treated to the latest achievement: Restoration of the south parlor’s third and final floor-to-ceiling window. These windows were designed to be expansive in bringing in natural light and the outdoors inside Harmony Hall.

Each window is composed of two upper and two lower frames. Counter weights with rope hidden in window inserts provide ease of opening movement.

Previous restoration efforts have included uncovering the mansion’s grand staircase, which was obscured beneath a modern overbuild since the late 1970s.

Christmas decorations in the parlor at the 1848 Harmony Hall-Jacob Sloat House. Contributed photo

The Sloat House, once home to a wealthy industrialist whose family gave this western Ramapo village its name, was saved from development through the efforts of the Friends, including two of Jacob’s descendants: Great-great grandson Harrison Bush, and his son, Peter.

The home remained in the Sloat family until 1908. It then accommodated several restaurants before becoming an elder care facility. The site was recognized for its significance by the state in 2004 and later placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Victorian holiday

• 1-5 p.m. Dec. 8; visit from Santa from 1:30-2 p.m

• Harmony Hall-The Jacob Sloat House is located at 15 Liberty Rock Road, Sloatsburg.
• Tickets are $10 for nonmembers, $5 for members; under 17 free. Visit friendsofharmonyhall.org for tickets and information.

Robert Brum is a freelance journalist who writes about the Hudson Valley. Contact him and read his work at robertbrum.com.