The season of gratitude and giving is upon us. It is dark by dinner, there is a chill in the air (some days), and downtown shops are announcing their events for holiday shoppers. We’ve all had to adjust to a “new normal” in 2020 — we accepted a scaled-down version of a ‘Dickens Holiday,’ and didn’t make too much of a fuss about the cancelled Rotary Christmas Parade. 

There is still one vestige of “life before COVID” that we can take advantage of in Fayetteville. We can celebrate the Christmas season with Victorian flair at the annual Holiday Jubilee at the 1897 Poe House on Dec. 6 from 1-4 p.m.

The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex invites the public to attend this holiday event featuring a concert by Fayetteville’s own Coventry Carolers.

The Coventry Carolers perform seasonal Victorian Christmas songs in realistic period costumes. The members have more than 150 years combined choral experience in the U.S. and abroad.

The Coventry Carolers will perform at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. The Christmas concert takes place on the front porch of the Poe House and each set lasts approximately 30 minutes. Visitors are asked to bring their own chair, wear a mask and social distance. Seating will not be provided. Admission to the concert is free.

The 1897 Poe House will be open for the Holiday Jubilee from 1-4 p.m. and decorated for a Victorian Christmas providing a beautiful backdrop for this festive event. Visitors may view the first floor only, which includes the parlor, sitting room and dining room, for a small donation of $2 per adult and $1 per child ages 5-12. For the Jubilee, occupancy will be limited to 15 people in the house at one time, masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be enforced.

The 1897 Poe House, part of the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, reopened for guided tours in November with tours offered at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. On these days, visitors must check in at the Museum of the Cape Fear lobby to sign up for the tour. Tours are limited, masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be enforced.

The 1897 Poe House will be decorated for Christmas from Nov. 28 through Jan. 9, 2021. Although the Poe House and Museum of the Cape Fear will be closed for Thanksgiving Nov. 26-27, they will reopen on Nov. 28.

This project is supported by the Arts Council and contributions from businesses and individuals, and through grants from the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources.

Matching funds are being provided by the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation, Inc.

The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, located on the corner of Bradford and Arsenal avenues is currently open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum operates under the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Admission to the museum is free.

For more information about the museum, the Poe House or the Holiday Jubilee visit https://museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov/