Have a "Little House" Christmas!

The holiday season is upon us, and if you're like most "Little House" fans, you may be hoping to work a bit of "Little House" into your Christmas celebration this year. The Christmas chapters of the "Little House" series are among the most beloved, despite (and probably because of) the simplicity of the Ingalls and Wilder celebrations.

Here are just a few ways that you can have a "Little House" Christmas:

1. Christmas with Almanzo

The Almanzo Wilder Farm in Burke, NY, will be open Saturday, December 6, from 11 am to 3 pm, for a special Christmas event.

Come into Mother Wilder's cozy kitchen for homemade cookies and apple cider, then gather in the parlor for a reading of the Farmer Boy Christmas chapter. Other enjoyable activities will be provided for the children, as weather permits.

The house and museum will be open to the public but there will be no tours (self-guided only). The gift shop will be stocked with all things "Little House" (including the new Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura DVD, which if you haven't already ordered, would make a lovely Christmas present for any Wilder fan), and free gift wrapping will be provided.


2. Go see a "Little House" Christmas play.

"A Little House Christmas" is being shown in local theatres around the United States over the next couple of weeks. (Known locations include Houston and Dallas, Texas; Eau Claire and Menomonie, Wisconsin; and Warren, Ohio.) Check with your local theaters, or do a google search on "Little House Christmas" and your state name to see if there is a showing near you.

Also showing are "A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas"(known locations include Nampa and Caldwell, Idaho, and Mount Airy, North Carolina), "A Laura Ingalls Wilder Pioneer Christmas" (known locations include New Richmond, Wisconsin), and "A Little House Christmas at Plum Creek" (known locations include Boone, Iowa).

If you are aware of any other locations not mentioned, please leave the information in the comments section and we will update this post accordingly.


3. Attend "The Ingalls Family's Long Winter".

Raleigh, North Carolina, is the location for this unique holiday celebration, which will enable participants to learn about and experience the tasks used by the Ingalls family to survive during the Hard Winter of 1880-81. The event will be held from 2 to 4 pm on December 11, 13, and 14. The event is geared for children 6 to 13 and their accompanying adults, and requires a pre-registration fee of $2. Call (919) 856-6675 to register.


4. Enjoy a reread of the "Little House" Christmas chapters.

Live too far from any of the Christmas events? Have your own "Little House" party. Read the Christmas chapters and simply enjoy them, or use them to find ideas you can incorporate into your own family's Christmas traditions.

Dean Butler and Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura

The new documentary, Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura, produced by Dean Butler of Legacy Documentaries, has been officially released on DVD.

The DVD is sold exclusively by the Wilder Farm in Burke, New York, and can be ordered online at Almanzo's General Store (you'll want to check out the other items available for purchase there, as well!) or by phoning the Wilder Farm at (518) 483-1207.

The price is $21.95, plus a shipping and handling fee.

Cheryl Malandrinos of the Laura's Little Houses blog has conducted an interview with Dean Butler about this documentary, as well as his experiences with the television show and the literary world of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Click here to read the full interview.

Dean Butler was also featured on the Ryan Lindsay show which aired September 25. You can listen to this interview online at Blogtalk Radio. (Wait through the brief advertisement that will appear when you click this link; the show will begin immediately afterward.)

For those who pre-ordered your DVD, you will be contacted by the Wilder Farm sometime in the next week or two for payment information.

Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura DVD Release

We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of a new documentary entitled "Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura." The DVD is produced by Dean Butler of Legacy Documentaries. Many will recognize Dean as the actor who played the part of Almanzo Wilder in Michael Landon's television series "Little House on the Prairie."

Dean Butler has traveled to the childhood home of Almanzo Wilder in Burke, New York, to retell the story of Almanzo's youth as written about by Laura Ingalls Wilder in Farmer Boy. Using historic photographs, interviews with historians, animated Garth Williams illustrations, re-enacted scenes from Farmer Boy, and footage shot on location of the Wilder Farm near Malone, Dean Butler has put together a spectacular production that "Little House" fans will appreciate and enjoy for years to come.

The DVD will be released September 25, 2008, and is available for purchase only through the Almanzo Wilder Farm. Thanks to the generosity of Dean Butler, all proceeds will benefit the Wilder Farm. We encourage you all not to miss this opportunity to obtain an amazing documentary while supporting the Wilder Farm. We will post a reminder and link to purchase when the DVD is officially released.

Watch the trailer below for a taste of what the documentary will be like. We hope to see more "Little House" related productions from Legacy Documentaries in the future!

Click here to watch the video.

Harvest Fest -- New York

Bring the kids to the Almanzo Wilder Farm in Burke, New York, on Saturday, September 27, to celebrate the annual Harvest Fest. Children can paint pumpkins, make scarecrows, and play old-fashioned games.

The original farmhouse lived in by Almanzo Wilder and his family during his childhood, described in Farmer Boy, as well as the replica barns that have been built on the property will be open, and guests are free to walk through and look around as they wish. Textile demonstrations, such as spinning and weaving that Mother Wilder did, will be given.

A Civil War encampment and live musical entertainment will also be part of the festival. Activities run from 10 am to 4 pm. Contact the Almanzo Wilder Farm for more information.

Almanzo Wilder Farm
Malone, New York
(518) 483-1207