COVINGTON, Ky. — It’s looking a lot like Christmas at the Behringer-Crawford Museum (BCM) in Covington. Part of the museum’s Holly Jolly Days this year is the White Christmas exhibit. 

“There’s a number of really wonderful pieces here and pieces from the film that we have on display,” Jason French, BCM’s curator of collections, said.

The holiday classic, White Christmas, takes place at the height of World War II and tells the story of soldiers, their general and giving back. It stars Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Kentucky’s own, Rosemary Clooney.

“So Bing (Crosby) ends up on this Ed Harris show and he’s calling on all of the men that were under the general in World War II to participate in something called ‘Operation Waverly,’” French said.

The film helped inspire a modern Operation Waverly which was founded in 2019. Through a partnership with the Rosemary Clooney House in Augusta, BCM has the White Christmas display up and they’re collecting items to benefit the Ohio Valley Goodwill Veterans Transition Program.

“Donate toiletries and cleaning supplies and things to veterans. Those are the things you don’t always think about when you’re moving into a new home and you’re kind of transitioning out of a rough patch,” French said.

French has met some of the brave Americans who’ve served our country and he knows some veterans really need help.

“There’s so many veterans I get to talk to and learn about their stories and their experiences and it’s just part of who we are as a culture. These are people who have sacrificed so much,” French said.

The mission with Operation Waverly is to get people thinking about the sacrifices of others and how they, with a simple donation, can help make a difference.