Holiday Memories
continuing a community tradition
The annual Holiday Memories event at the Museum began in 1991 with a holiday-themed display known as Christmas Memories. For the first 10 years, it primarily focused on various holiday themes, traditions, and materials.
Beginning in 2001, the Museum was able to introduce a limited number of original mechanical animation pieces that had once been used in the Sheboygan-based regional department store H.C. Prange Company.
The introduction of the mechanical animation was wildly successful. Those initial pieces, which were at first a loan from Prange’s successor Younkers, were officially donated to the organization. From 2004-2006, the Museum was able to acquire a significant portion of a collection of mechanical animation from Georgia Rankin. Rankin had begun collecting as Prange’s was narrowing both the scope and change frequency of their holiday displays.
With the closure of the downtown Sheboygan Boston Store in 2013, another set of mechanical animation, display pieces, and additional materials was offered to the Museum and accepted into the collection. Known as the “Elves of Santaland,” this grouping of animation, set pieces, and other display items were used at Younkers/ Boston Store from 1996 through 2013.
Twenty-plus years later, Holiday Memories is no longer just a place to come and share memories of days gone by, though it does serve that purpose. It has become a destination to create memories, alongside sharing in an experience of years past. It has grown from a limited run, limited-hour exhibition and event to a multi-week all-encompassing exhibition and event, with a variety of activities, scheduled programs, entertainment, and more.
