This entertaining lecture, presented by Stefanie Ritter, curator of the "Season of Light" exhibition, will follow the history of the Christmas tree from its beginnings in 8th century Germany with St. Boniface to today's America, where over 25 million real Christmas trees are sold every year.  

Thursday, December 15, starting at Noon

FREE Admission

Enjoy a hot beverage and Christmas cookies while you relax for an hour during this busy time of the year.  

December is a time when people all over the world celebrate holidays.  Learn about the different customs of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Bodhi Day.  Discover the history and origins of the different holidays.  Visit this exhibition to help celebrate and enjoy the season! 

On Display through December 22

Join us for days of discovery during Science Saturdays.  These programs will ignite your children's curiosity by presenting information and performing experiments relating to biological and physical sciences.  All programs will be facilitated by our Museum Educator.  It is recommended that children be of school age for this program.

11:00 - 11:30 a.m.

FREE! No pre-registration required

December 10: The Human Brain

January 7: Magnetism

Join us for craft fun!  Kids will make holiday-themed crafts to keep or to give as gifts.  

Saturday, December 17,

11:00 a.m. - Noon

FREE, and materials provided, but space is limited

Pre-registration is required

Call (760) 369-7212 to register or visit our web site

Local author Ben Costello will be joining author and film historian Julie Ann Ream for GUNSMOKE NIGHT - a tribute to the legendary western television show presented by the Morongo Basin Historical Society.  Julie was born in Hollywood; her grandfather was Taylor "Cactus Mack" McPeters and she is related to Rex Allen and Glenn Strange, who played Sam the bartender on Gunsmoke.  Ben wrote the award-winning book Gunsmoke: An American Institution and together, both he and Julie contributed to the book Perfectly Amanda, the story of Amanda Blake who played Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke.  Ben and Julie have plenty of stories to share, and special Hollywood guests who worked for the show on both sides of the camera will be attending to add their perspectives on Gunsmoke. 

Wednesday, January 4, starting at 5:30 p.m.

$5 donation to the MBHS at the door

Do you love the museum's mini-zoo animals and wish you could get up close and personal with some of them?  Now you can!  The museum will be holding a Critter Club event with Museum Biologist Stefanie Ritter.  Touch some of the mini-zoo residents while you learn about local animals and how they adapt to the harsh desert environment.  Follow with a hands-on craft!  

Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Holiday)

10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

$5 per adult, $2 per child age 15 and under (paid at the door)

Museum members are FREE!

For thousands of years humans have gone to great lengths to change their natural appearance in an attempt to make themselves feel more attractive, conform to the prevailing customs of their cultural group, participate in religious rituals, attract a mate, show off wealth or social status, and make a statement about themselves.  From body art such as scarification, tattooing and piercing to the increasing popularity of plastic surgery, this exhibition presents a sweeping and sometimes startling look at our methods of adornment and the lengths to which people will go to achieve what they perceive as attractiveness. 

On Display January 7 through March 1, 2012

* Male reindeer shed their antlers around Christmas (females lose theirs in the summer), so the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh are female.

* Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of goose feathers dyed green.

* In A.D. 320, Pope Julius I proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birth of Christ.

* In Poland, spiders and spider webs are common Christmas tree decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus.  Polish people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas.

* Mistletoe is from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan, which means "little dung twig" because the plant spreads its seeds through bird droppings.

* The 12 Days of Christmas come after the holiday, not before. The 12 days start on December 25 and go through Twelfth Night, the evening of January 5, which is followed by the Epiphany on January 6.

* Puritan Oliver Cromwell outlawed Christmas celebrations in England from 1649-1660. The only celebrations allowed were sermons and prayers.

* Some British wear paper crowns while they eat Christmas dinner.  The crowns are stored in a tube called a "Christmas cracker."

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