Museum Name: National Christmas Center
Schedule: Weekends in March and April, then daily May 1 through the New Year; open year round for groups of 25+, Hours 10 am - 6 pm, call for extended holiday hours
Established: 1998
Address: 3427 Lincoln Highway East (Route 30) Lancaster County Paradise , PA 17562
Phone Number: (717) 442-7950
Fax Number: (717) 442-9304
Email: info@nationalchristmascenter.com
Director: Jennifer McElhany, Museum Director / Mandy Brown, Executive Director
Website: www.nationalchristmascenter.com
Focus: Local and global Christmas customs and celebrations; Pennsylvania Christmas history; how the United States celebrated the holiday during different eras; origins of Christmas traditions and lore; the evolution of Santa Claus - from St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Turkey in 300 AD, to the jolly figure we recognize today; the influence of the media and how that changed Christmas celebrations; antiques and collectibles ranging from Nativities to dinnerware, antique toys and ornaments; postcards, advertisements and other ephemera
Ages: Age groups: under age 3, ages 3-12, and adult/senior
Costs: Call for current pricing; group rates available
Class Trip Programs:
An extensive list of study aids and guides is available for use prior to trips or as a follow-up to your visit. Visit us online at www.nationalchristmascenter.com , and click "Education" for more details. Tours are self-guided, and we require one adult chaperone for every 5 students.
Class Trip Pricing:
Call for current pricing

Discover the whimsy and fantasy, the magic and memories, the history and traditions of Christmas at National Christmas Center !

Nestled in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the National Christmas Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing precious mementos - and memories - of Christmases past and present, near and far. Fourteen main galleries and numerous, ever-changing smaller exhibits bring the holiday to life for guests of all ages.

Explore 20,000 square feet of life-sized, indoor walk-through exhibits featuring realistic life-cast figures and one of a kind animated sculpted characters.

Major Exhibits
Christmas 1944 - The War Years
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Images of Santa
Christmas around the World
Woolworth's 5&10, circa 1940-1950's
Antiques Emporium
Santa's North Pole Work Shop
TudorTowne animated story book village
A Pennsylvania Christmas
Witness an Amish Christmas
Street of Memories
A 1950's Christmas
Toyland train mountain and antique toy store
The Art of the Nativity
The First Christmas

2007 Exhibits:
A 1950's Christmas and Street of Memories will be new for 2007; planned opening - Summer 2007