TAMPA, Fla. —  In the 1800's, Christmas for Florida’s new settlers looked a lot different than today’s yuletide celebrations. The Manatee County Historical Park hosts its annual Old Florida Christmas this weekend, and you can step into the past.

What You Need To Know

  • Old Florida Christmas at the Manatee Village Historic Park just off downtown Bradenton

  •  10 a.m. - 3 p.m. for children's activities, hand-made artisans and vendors

  •  Santa will be at the historic school house from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

  • The buildings are examples of settler culture in the late 1800s in Manatee County


“Just bringing back the simplicity of Christmas celebrations of years ago,” said Karla Szekeres, the park’s Event and Engagement Coordinator.

The date they are going back to is about 1887. The person helping transport children? Allyson O’Leary. She’s the Education and Volunteer Coordinator.

“What kids will be making is a faux stained-glass window,” said O’Leary, cutting out black, folded paper to make blanks for children decorate. “And this is fun too because it shows them a little bit of symmetry, it ties in to the stain glass of our church which is nice as well.”

So we head to church, it’s among the seven buildings and two replica barns on the property just off downtown Bradenton. On the way, we pass the park’s Settler House, built by the Stephens family in 1912. It’s decorated for the holidays, like the rest of the park. The courthouse, school house and the church are all decorated for the holidays. 

A church that still performs religious rites, despite being from 1887. 

“Actually, the brides are quite happy that we kept the modern conveniences of air conditioners for them,” O’Leary said.

Couples marry under the original stain-glassed window in the shape of a seven-point star. It’s the touchstone for O’Leary’s stained-glass activity. 

"We wanted to make sure our crafts were tying back into history,” said O’Leary. “And a lot of people will point out that it looks like a Star of David, but we like to remind people that seven-pointed are a pretty common religious symbol.”

The pews, also original to the church, are a powerful teaching tool for O’Leary.

“I say, 'Hey! You are sitting where one of our settlers sat in 1889,' they just get this look on their face and it kind of helps give them some hands-on tangible thing to grasp as they are considering these history concepts we are telling them," she said.

O’Leary’s hope is for children to better understand their community through its history.

“And they take that kind of knowledge and excitement into the world and they share it with others,” said O’Leary.