Candles illuminated the path visitors took between two historic farms to see the different ways Christmas was celebrated in the 1800s Friday.

Community members walked to the Lincoln and Sargent Farms during the Christmas candlelight tour at the Lincoln Log Cabin Historical Site Friday.

With no electricity, visitors only had candlelight, fires and paper bag latern-lined paths to see by.

Matthew Mittelstaedt, the Lincoln Log Cabin site manager, said the two families celebrated Christmas differently, the Lincolns hardly at all, and the Sargent’s with a simpler version of today’s traditions.

“We use our two historical farms to showcase that not everyone celebrated Christmas,” Mittelstaedt said.

He said around this time, Christmas was not a religious holiday, nor was it really seen as a family holiday.

“’The Night Before Christmas’ was a new story at that time, and it was just really used to promote a different version of Christmas,” Baker said.

He said it was common in the big cities for people to go out and drink on Christmas.

“They treat Christmas like we treat New Year’s today,” Mittelstaedt said. “They used it as an excuse to go out drinking and carrying on and shooting off guns in the country side and things like that.”

He said at the time, Christmas was not even recognized by most religious people because it was not biblically correct.

“Where does it say in the Bible that we celebrate Christmas?” Mittelstaedt said. “It doesn’t, so there are the folks who don’t celebrate it at all.”

He said the Lincolns are the representation of this group of people who did not celebrate.

Donald Baker, a volunteer at the cabin and a Neoga resident, played music during an evening of socialization after a long day at the Lincoln Farm.

Baker would play music and make up stories about the day to those who visited the house during the tours.

“I get to tell big stories and sing ridiculous songs,” Baker said.

Baker played the Appalachian Dulcimer, a string instrument that appeared in the 19th century, and sang Christmas carols and animal songs for the children.

He said he likes to volunteer at the cabin during these events because he likes to show people what it was like in older times.

“I like to educate people on the country life of 1845,” Baker said. “It’s a history lesson in action.”

Baker said the Lincoln’s treated Christmas like any other workday. They would sit around talk, cook and knit.

“In the 1840s, Christmas, to a lot of people, was not celebrated at all,” Baker said. “They might have something special to eat, but Christmas is like every other day. You had to take care of the animals and take care of everything else.”

Baker said the Sargents would have more of a celebration with a small tree and homemade presents.

Mittelstaedt said the Sargents would decorate a small tree with popcorn ropes or pinecones.

He said they would also decorate it with small toys for the children.

“The decorations on the tree really function as presents and gifts as well,” Mittelstaedt said.

He said they would also read the story of Jesus from the Bible.

“They look at Christmas as a family holiday and more of a wholesome tradition,” Mittelstaedt said.

He said they would share practical gifts that the family needed or maybe a few toys for the children.

JT Blake, a senior history major, said he knew most of the information he was portraying in his character.

He said there are some similarities between the traditions of the Sargents and today’s society.

“I don’t think the culture would be that much different from today, if they could buy things as cheaply as we can,” Blake said.

Joyce Lock, an Eastern alumna and a Lerna resident, said she liked seeing the different traditions of that time.

“I was over at the Lincoln farm, and their traditions are basically nothing, and we don’t realize how much we do now that they didn’t used to do at all,” Lock said. “This little tree is not a six-footer that you paid $35 for a Wal-Mart, you went out and cut it down.”

Lock said she liked the candlelight path the most.

“You don’t realize how dark it is at night when all you have is candlelight,” Lock said.

Mittelstaedt said he thinks people like seeing the traditional Christmas versus the modern one.

“We certainly take the commercialism out of Christmas when you come out here,” he said. “You see it in its most simple and basic form, and you might see something you’d like to incorporating into their family tradition.”

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-2812 or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.