The next time you visit the Whaling Museum, take a good look at the sperm-whale jaw bone that stands vertically in our restored Hadwen & Barney Candle Factory. It is exhibited pointing skyward, but for a moment, imagine it suspended horizontally from the ceiling. Now, imagine the "animated mass" of the whale it came from. Containing this whale would require every inch of the eighty-seven-foot-long Hadwen & Barney candle factory. Now, imagine a twenty-nine-foot whaleboat sidling up to the whale in the mid-nineteenth century. Having just imagined this myself, I am now more than ever thankful for this desk job!

Symbolic actually, for not even our Moby-Dick-sized whale can be comfortably contained within our museum walls. Our stories are global, and our museum - like our island itself - is but a "jumping-off place" for adventures. It always has been.

Speaking of symbols, our annual Festival of Wreaths has just completed a wonderful run, and the Festival of Trees will open on Friday, December 3. This amazing display of more than eighty beautifully decorated trees will turn our museum into a winter wonderland, so it is with pleasure that I invite you to stop by and spend some time enjoying these creative works of art.

We are grateful to the many members of the Nantucket community for their wonderful involvement and to the island businesses that have so generously provided underwriting support for these island traditions.

During this season of giving, our attentions are also turned to the Annual Fund, and we are hopeful that you will recognize the importance of all we do to preserve and present Nantucket history. Your gift, in any amount, will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks to all members who responded to my question "What is it about Nantucket that appeals so much to you?" If you have not yet weighed-in, send me an e-mail at wtramposch@nha.org . Please keep it to a sentence; we find that the shorter ones are the most memorable and poetic. Many thanks!

We wish you all the very best for the holiday season.

Fair (and hopefully not too chilling) winds!

Bill Tramposch

Executive Director

Every Gift Makes a Difference!

Support the Annual Fund with New Online Giving

Your Annual Fund contribution, in any amount, will have an immediate impact on everything the NHA does-every program we offer, every visitor we inspire, every artifact we exhibit, and all twenty-two historic properties we maintain and interpret. The Annual Fund provides vital operating support and enables the NHA to fulfill its mission of education and preservation for our members, supporters, and the Nantucket community.

We are grateful for your strong commitment to the NHA and hopeful that you will help us reach this year's goal of $280,000 by December 31.

Supporting the Annual Fund is easy this year with online giving. To contribute go to: https://www.nantucketmuseumshop.org/Forms/Donation.php : send a gift to the Annual Fund, Nantucket Historical Association, PO Box 1016, Nantucket, MA 02554; or call 508-228-1894, ext. 114

Walking in a Winter Wonderland: 17^th Annual Festival of Trees opens on Friday, December 3

Trees & whale

The ever-popular Festival of Trees transforms the Whaling Museum into a festive winter wonderland of more than eighty brilliantly decorated trees designed by community members, local merchants, nonprofit organizations, artists, artisans, and schoolchildren.

The festival runs through December 20: Thursday - Monday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Friday, December 3, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. The festival will reopen on December 26-27, Sunday - Monday, 1 - 4 p.m., and January 2 - 3, Sunday - Monday, 1 - 4 p.m. General admission is $15; for Nantucket year-round residents, $5 (with a valid driver's license); free for children under 6, and NHA members. The Whaling Museum is handicapped accessible.

Marine Home Center is the lead underwriter for the Festival of Trees. Additional support is provided by Nantucket Bank, a division of Sovereign Bank; Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank; Trianon / Seaman Schepps; Botticelli & Pohl Architects; Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines; Hatch's Package Store; Jordan Real Estate; Killen Real Estate; Madaket Marine; Nantucket Bookworks; Nantucket Pharmacy; Nantucket Real Estate Co. Inc.; National Grid; Norton Preservation Trust; Sherburne Commons; The UPS Store; and Water Jewels Gallery.

December Hours

in the

Whaling Museum

In preparation for the Festival of Trees, the Whaling Museum will be closed through December 2 and will reopen with extended hours on Friday, December 3, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Beginning December 4, the museum will resume regular hours and be open Thursday - Monday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., through December 20. The museum will reopen exclusively for touring the Festival of Trees on December 26-27, 1 - 4 p.m., and January 2 - 3, 1 - 4 p.m.

The Whaling Museum features changing exhibits about Nantucket history, decorative arts, scrimshaw, and numerous interactive, hands-on learning activities in the Discovery Room for children twelve and under. Daily programming includes the film

The Bones of History, the Whale Hunt Lecture, the whaleship Essex Gam, and various gallery tours. The Whaling Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums.

Free Afternoon Programs for Children and Families in the Discovery Room

Children and their families are invited to the Whaling Museum's Discovery Room to explore Nantucket history through stories, a hands-on look at artifacts from the NHA collection, and educational crafts and games. The free programs are offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 2 - 4 P.M., through December 16. Groups of children are also welcome, but must be accompanied by adult companions. Participants are asked to enter through the Discovery Room door, to the right of the main museum entrance, 13 Broad Street.The program is supported by a grant from the Nantucket Golf club Foundation.

Create a Holiday Card in the Discovery Room

Visitors of all ages are invited to create handcrafted cards celebrating the winter holidays. Beautiful collage materials and holiday sentiments will be provided for this self-directed activity. Offered Thursday - Monday, December 4 - 20, 11 A.M. - 4 P.M., in the Discovery Room, Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street.

Free for NHA members or with museum admission.

Held Thursdays at noon in the Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street. This year, we celebrate the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Nantucketers from all walks of life. Food for Thought is supported by a grant from the M. S. Worthington Foundation.

December 9 Sheila Lucey, "Navigation and Nautical Knots."

December 16 Marty McGowan, "Farming on Nantucket."

The Food for Thought series will resume on February 3, 2011.
Each talk begins at noon and is free to the public. Bring your lunch. For additional information, please call 508-228-1894, ext. 0, or visit
www.nha.org to view the full schedule.

A Night of Holiday Magic

Saturday, December 18, 4 - 8 P.M.

Join us for a festive family evening featuring Holiday magic

music, storytelling, and holiday crafts set

against the backdrop of the sparkling Festival of Trees. Whether it's a cozy pair of pajamas, a jingle-bell necklace, or a special holiday sweater, visitors are encouraged to wear their favorite holiday outfit. During the last hour of the program the museum lights will be lowered and guests will be invited to stroll through the museum and enjoy the quiet glow of the magical trees.

Free for NHA members and youth (17 & under); $5 adults

1800 House Gift Certificates, a gift that keeps on giving!

For those having friends or family members who enjoy early-American arts and crafts, consider giving a gift certificate in any amount that can be applied to the recipient's choice of a class during the 2011 season at the NHA's 1800 House. Please call 508-228-1894, ext. 128, or 508-228-7785 for additional information; or go to http://www.nha.org/1800house/index.html to learn more about the NHA's lifelong-learning programs in early-American arts and crafts.

Take a chance on the Museum Shop

2010 Holiday Raffle

This beautifully embroidered tapestry, Outward Bound, depicts the Rainbow Fleet in full glory sailing past Brant Point, interpreted in needlework by the Hong Ngoc Humanity Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, a crafts center for the handicapped.

The tapestry has been donated by Mimi Burnham, and the framing has been donated by Nantucket Frameworks. It measures 12.5 inches by 21 inches and is valued at $1,000. Raffle tickets are available online at http://www.nantucketmuseumshop.org and in the Museum Shop for $10 each, or six for $50. The drawing will be held on December 18; winner need not be present. The NHA member discount does not apply to raffle ticket purchases.

Making a list and checking it twice. . . .

Shop for the holidays at the NHA Museum Shop

The winter holidays are fast approaching, so visit our cozy shop to find distinctive gifts, books, and specialty food items (and, NHA members receive a 10% discount on all non-sale items).

The shop is open Thursday - Monday 11 A.M. - 4 P.M.; you can visit our Web site or shop on line: http://www.nantucketmuseumshop.org

You can also place orders by calling 508-228-5785.

'Tis the season to make others feel jolly. . . .

Give the gift of an NHA Membership

A one-year membership is the perfect holiday, birthday, hostess, or anniversary gift that will provide unlimited admission to the Whaling Museum; free use of the NHA Research Library; subscription to Historic Nantucket; 10% discount at the Museum Shop; and discounts for classes, events, concerts, and lectures. Should you have any questions regarding your membership, or would like to purchase a gift membership for family or friends, please call Michelle at 508-228-1894, ext. 116, or visit http://www.nha.org/membership .

First NHA Diversity Festival a HUGE hit!

Although the day dawned cold and windy on Saturday, November 6, two hundred fifty-five community members from around the globe visited the Whaling Museum during its first free Diversity Festival.

Special twenty-minute museum highlight tours were offered in Spanish, Portuguese, and Bulgarian, and family activities included signage and instructions in those languages. Guests from Costa Rica, Brazil, El Salvador, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Russia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Mexico, South Korea, and Colombia were delighted to participate in the many hands-on activities that included making sailors valentines, whirligigs, and faux scrimshaw. There was a curatorial table where guests had the opportunity to view and touch spermaceti candles and oil, harpoons, baleen, and sperm-whale teeth, and in the Discovery Room guests enjoyed having a "Nantucket portrait" photograph taken and printed out while they waited.

A Passion for People: Forty Years of Nantucket Portrait Photography by Beverly Hall closes on December 31

Whitney Gallery, NHA Research Library, 7 Fair Street

A Passion for People showcases photographer Beverly Hall's outstanding eye for portraiture through four decades of Nantucket history. The retrospective opens a window on the remarkable changes that have occurred on Nantucket in the last four decades and features several hundred images on multiple presentation screens in addition to traditionally framed images. Hall's work captures an important chapter in Nantucket's postwar history, a time that is increasingly important to record and showcase as part of Nantucket's modern history.

The Whitney Gallery is open during library hours, Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Tuesday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Otherwise, the library and gallery are closed Wednesdays, weekends, and all holidays.

A Passion for People: Forty Years of Nantucket Portrait Photography by Beverly Hall will be on display through December 31.

Museum participating in Blue Star program with free admission for active-duty military

Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Museums is a partnership with more than 600 museums across America that are offering free admission to all active-duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010. The NHA is pleased to extend this program through December 31, 2010.

Free admission is available to active-duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members), including active-duty Reserve and active-duty National Guard.

Makes a Great Holiday Gift!

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World DVD

Ric Burns's American Experience/WGBH film Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World, which features a number of artifacts from the NHA collections (on display in a special case in the museum) is now available for sale in the Museum Shop. The DVD costs $24.99 and includes deleted scenes and extra reenactment footage not shown in the full-length film version.

Host your Holiday Party in the Museum. . . .

Give your friends, family, colleagues, or clients the gift of a party in a winter wonderland at Nantucket's world-class museum. And . . . we have a gift for you: reduced 2010 holiday pricing.

Between December 3 and 20, the Whaling Museum will be transformed into a delightful holiday wonderland with close to eighty decorated trees - the perfect time and ideal location to treat your family, friends, colleagues, and clients to large or small gatherings - with ease.

Call Susan Beaumont at 508-228-1894, ext. 131, or e-mail sbeaumont@nha.org for details about hosting a memorable party in the Whaling Museum or at other NHA properties.

Exceptional events begin with unforgettable venues. . . .

Hours

Whaling Museum

The Whaling Museum is open Thursday - Monday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. through December 20. The Museum will reopen on December 26 & 27, 1 - 4 P.M., and again on January 2 & 3, 2011, 1 - 4 P.M. to view the Festvial of Trees. The Musuem will open for the 2011 season on February 12. Call 508-228-1894, ext. 0, with any questions.

Historic Sites

The Historic Sites are closed for the season.

Museum Shop

The Museum Shop is open Thursday - Monday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. You can visit our Web site to shop on line: http://www.nantucketmuseumshop.org or place orders by calling 508-228-5785.

Research Library
Located at 7 Fair Street, the library is open year-round: Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. and Tuesday, 11 A.M. -

4 P.M.; closed Wednesdays, weekends, and all holidays. Call 508-228-1655.

Administrative Offices
Located at 15 Broad Street, the administrative offices are open Monday - Friday, 9 A.M. - 5 P.M. Call 508-228-1894, ext 0.