Montgomery County’s oldest Christmas celebration on Dec. 13 has activities not found anywhere else in the area. You will not want to miss this wonderful day full of events to create memories and fun for every family member, in downtown Historic Montgomery—one of Texas’ oldest towns and the Birthplace of the Texas flag.
The Montgomery Historical Society, founded in 1954, produces this, its main fundraising event, every December with proceeds going toward maintaining the historic buildings owned by the Society and for scholarships for a deserving senior at each of Montgomery’s two high schools. The event is throughout the historic district surrounding the Community building at 14420 Liberty Street.
The strolling carolers, coupled with the Holiday Marketplace filled with vendors offering homemade gifts and décor, and the old-fashioned decorations in the historic buildings on the evening Historic Home Tour, will make you feel you have stepped back into the mid-1800’s when Montgomery was the county seat.
The City of Montgomery sponsors the Holiday Parade which begins 10:00 a.m., starting on Liberty St. and heading north across Eva St. (SH 105), then winding through the downtown area. Several awards will be presented to entrants within the main category of the “Lone Star Christmas” theme, including a Grand Champion award. For safety reasons, no candy or other items are allowed to be thrown from the floats—parade walkers will hand out candies to the crowds along the route. Facebook.com/historicmontgomerytexas/events.
Montgomery Historical Society’s “Holiday Marketplace—Art & Craft.” Vendors! Sign up soon for booths. Most items offered for sale are homemade or homegrown. This is a great opportunity for visitors to find Christmas gifts and holiday décor. Booths are 10’x10’, renting for $85, or $115 with electricity. For more information, See MHS-TX.org, and to print the (1) Vendor Letter and (2) Marketplace Application. Send a message to Contact@MHS-TX.org with further questions. All prior vendors who want to return will be guaranteed a space and the number of spaces they rented last year, as long as they get their applications in a few days before the event. However, if prior vendors wait too long, there could be someone else who might apply to sell the same or very similar items, and the prior vendor could miss out!
The City, community, and especially the Montgomery Independent School District, fully support this popular and remarkable family event by sponsoring specific aspects from the area schools and civic groups from participating in the holiday parade to providing festive cookies and candies for the famous Cookie Walk in the Community Building at 14420 Liberty St. (No plain chocolate chip, please—to ensure this popular event will continue to have a multitude of specialty items to offer.) This year marks the 35th Annual Cookie Walk, which was created by the late, wonderful lady, Reba Laughter. This Christmas event was featured in the 1999 issue of Southern Living magazine!
The Society is so very grateful to the Montgomery Monarchs Chapter of the National Charity League for continuing their incredibly difficult task of decorating, staging, and serving the thousands of convections for our visitor’s pleasure. Cookies and candies will be in bundles of 2-4 pieces with festive ribbons. Visitors pay by the pound for the boxes full of decorative sweets they personally picked out.
This wonderful service group is mothers with daughters currently in 6th through 9th grades who reside in North Montgomery County or attend school in Montgomery ISD. Interested mother/daughter duos can look into the Montgomery Monarch National Charity League’s activities and apply for membership. For detailed information for joining this civic group, search Facebook for MontgomeryMonarchsNCL/.
Folks line up long before the doors open to get first choice. Visitors are given plastic gloves and a box—or boxes—for choosing from the room filled with tables laden with convections until 4 p.m. …or until all the cookies and candies are sold! The NCL spends all week decorating the interior with several Christmas trees and holiday banners created years ago by Montgomery art students depicting the parade themes for those years.
This holiday event will conform to the Montgomery County Health Department rules and will adhere to the CDC recommendations for public safety at community events at that time. The NCL mothers and daughters will be gloved and the number of people inside the building will be limited to safe numbers.
The 48th Annual Candlelight Tour, from 4pm to 7pm, rounds out the day as visitors have the opportunity to tour a few of Montgomery’s historic buildings, including several private homes, some dating back to the mid-1800’s! The homes and buildings will be hosted by Historical Society volunteers and members of the Thomas Jefferson Stubbs UDC 2523, Conroe. All tour guides will be in period dress which adds to the impression that visitors have stepped back to the 1800s, and the decorations are commemorative of the way it was in early Texas back to 1837, when Montgomery was chartered, and the County Seat and namesake of Montgomery County.
The tour begins around dusk—the luminaries on the walkways lead to the homes and buildings on the tour. Visitors will have the opportunity to visit the sevral historic buildings owned by the Society, plus the Living Savior Lutheran Church chapel built in 1908, the Old Post Office & Drug Store (open now as “Rustic Cashmere Antiques), and some private homes beautifully decorated to reflect the history and charm of each.
our donations requested are $15 for adults aged 18 and over, $5 for students. Tickets are available at the N.H. Davis Complex & Museum beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Liberty Street in downtown Montgomery, which is also on the tour. Visitors will be given maps and wristbands for entry at all buildings on the tour.
The N. H. Davis Museum will be open for free tours 11:00a to 7:00p. All the buildings at Montgomery’s Fernland Historical Park will be open for tours 9:00 a.m until 3:00 p.m. Fernland’s anchor building, the Society-owned Arnold-Simonton Home, however, will remain open for the evening tour until 7:00 p.m.
Montgomery High School’s Madrigals—talented and award-winning carolers, in gorgeous period dress, will add to the holiday cheer, strolling throughout the historic district during the day. They will also perform at the entrance of the Cookie Walk to entertain during the afternoon.
In addition to the various restaurants’ extended hours, there will be vendors offering food, snacks, beverages, AND the many antique/gift shops, boutiques, wineries and specialty shops will also have extended hours.
While in town for this wonderful yearly event and throughout the holiday season, visitors are encouraged to “Think Small” and shop in Historic Montgomery’s antique/gift shops, boutiques, wineries, and specialty stores for great gifts at small-town prices—unique gifts that will satisfy many people on everyone’s shopping list.