Macculloch Hall Historical Museum at 45 Macculloch Avenue holds the largest collection of original work by Thomas Nast. Nast was the 19th-century political cartoonist and Morristown resident who helped popularize the Democratic donkey, the Republican elephant and a version of Santa Claus that most of us still picture today, according to the Morris County Heritage Commission. The same town holds the history of the Continental Army's first winter encampment, which started in January 1777, which makes this coming January its 250th anniversary.
This year, both stories run through the holiday calendar. The Festival of Trees has an America's 250th theme. First Night calls itself a continuation of the 250th celebration. One of Macculloch Hall's December tours is built around Nast's Christmas drawings. Morristown National Historical Park's buildings close on January 4, 2027, the same month the encampment anniversary arrives. If you want the history side of this season indoors, December is your window.
Nast's Santa Starts on the Green
The season opens on Saturday, November 28, at 5 p.m., with Santa's arrival and the lighting of the Morristown Green. The tradition goes back to 1913, when a few volunteers lit a single star on top of one tree on the Green, according to the Morristown Partnership. The tradition now includes a Santa House, holiday music and crafts, an oversized vintage-style rocking horse, ice sculpture demonstrations, and free rides around the Green on a miniature electric trail. Everything is free except photos with Santa, which cost $15.
After opening night, the Christmas Festival on the Green runs on Sunday, November 29, then Friday through Sunday on three December weekends: December 4–6, 11–13 and 18–20. The Partnership posts its activity schedule on a rolling basis, so the weekend lineups fill in as December goes on.
Macculloch Hall brings Nast to the Green itself. The museum's calendar lists "MHHM at Christmas on the Green" on December 13 and December 19. On those two days, the Santa in the Santa House shares the Green with the museum that keeps the drawings that helped shape him.
Macculloch Hall's December Is Built Around One Afternoon
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum runs Home for the Holidays on eight December dates: the 5th, 6th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 19th and 20th. Sunday, December 13, is the busiest day. The calendar stacks three listings on it:
- Home for the Holidays at the house
- A 1 p.m. Tour With the Curator: The Politics of Thomas Nast Christmas, about 45 minutes long
- MHHM at Christmas on the Green
The museum is closed December 3 and December 24–25. If you're bringing guests in from out of town, the weekend of December 12–13 puts the Nast tour, the Green festival and two other historic-house events covered below within the same two days.
The Trees Carry the 250th Theme
The Morris County Park Commission's Festival of Trees fills the mansion at Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Avenue, with trees decorated by scouts, families, floral designers and garden clubs. This year the trees celebrate America's 250th. Tickets are $10 per person, and hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Park Commission's event page lists seven dates: December 11, 12, 18 and 19, plus December 29, 30 and 31. Those last three fall in the week between Christmas and New Year's, when a lot of other venues are quiet and many households have visitors and a few open afternoons.
On the same December 11–13 weekend, Historic Speedwell at 333 Speedwell Avenue holds Jolly Old Christmas on December 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and the event is open to all ages. It includes a country dance, Civil War reenactors, seasonal crafts and demonstrations, and Santa. Speedwell's period is the 19th century, not the Revolution. Even so, the same weekend fits Nast, Speedwell and the 250th trees into two days.
Washington's First Winter Gets Its Evening on December 16
The Morris County Historical Society and the Morris County Heritage Commission close out their 2026 lecture series with "Morristown's First Winter Encampment, 1777" on Wednesday, December 16, at 6 p.m. The speaker is Pat Sanftner, America 250 State Chair for the NJ Society Daughters of the American Revolution. The Heritage Commission's description covers smallpox inoculations, the building of Fort Nonsense, and General Washington's stay at Arnold Tavern. It describes that winter as a period of "rest and recovery" for the Continental Army right after the victories at Trenton and Princeton, and calls it the lesser known of Washington's two Morristown encampments.
The talk takes place outside Morristown, at the Morris County Library, 30 E. Hanover Avenue in Whippany. Space is limited, pre-registration is required through the Morris County Historical Society, and a Zoom option is available.
That encampment ran from January to May 1777, according to the Morris County 250th site. So the December 16 lecture comes a few weeks before the 250th anniversary of the army's arrival.
The Park's Buildings Close Before That Anniversary Arrives
Morristown National Historical Park has two public buildings: Washington's Headquarters Museum at 30 Washington Place and the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center at 586 Tempe Wick Road. Both are open Thursday through Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The park charges no entrance fee.
Both buildings close for the winter from January 4 through February 12, 2027. They are also closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The grounds stay open every day from sunrise to sunset during the closure, and restrooms are available at the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center through its exterior doors and at the New York Brigade Comfort Station.
That leaves a short list of December days when the buildings are open. Here is how they fit with the rest of the calendar:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28, 5 p.m. | Santa's arrival and the Green lighting | Morristown Green | Free; Santa photos $15 |
| Dec. 4–6 | 16th Annual Morristown Christmas Market | Rauscher Hall, Assumption Church, 91 Maple Ave. | Free |
| Dec. 5–20, eight dates | Home for the Holidays | Macculloch Hall, 45 Macculloch Ave. | Not listed |
| Dec. 11–12, 18–19, 29–31 | Festival of Trees, 250th theme | Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 E. Hanover Ave. | $10 |
| Dec. 12–13 | Jolly Old Christmas | Historic Speedwell, 333 Speedwell Ave. | $5 |
| Sun., Dec. 13, 1 p.m. | The Politics of Thomas Nast Christmas tour | Macculloch Hall | Not listed |
| Wed., Dec. 16, 6 p.m. | First Winter Encampment, 1777 lecture | Morris County Library, Whippany | Pre-registration required |
| Thu., Dec. 31, 4:30 p.m.–midnight | First Night Morris County | 20+ downtown venues | $20 button; four for $70 through Nov. 30 |
| Jan. 4–Feb. 12, 2027 | Park buildings closed | Washington's Headquarters and Jockey Hollow | Grounds open |
Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, and the park buildings close that day. The open December days are Thursday through Monday, minus December 25 and January 1, until the final open day on Sunday, January 3.
December 31 Puts Both Threads in One Night
The calendar's last day works well as a full-day plan. The Festival of Trees runs until 4 p.m. on December 31. Half an hour later, at 4:30, First Night Morris County opens across downtown Morristown and runs until midnight.
First Night is in its 35th year. It started in 1992 as an alcohol-free New Year's Eve celebration, and the Mayo Performing Arts Center describes this edition, billed as First Night Morris County 2027, as "a continuation of America's 250th celebration." The lineup includes:
- Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, with Thomas Nast displays, a children's scavenger hunt and open museum tours
- Pathways to History Showcase at Morristown High School, which brings together historical societies from around the county
- Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey and Harmonium Choral Society at St. Peter's Church, including new works by American composers
- A film festival with more than 40 titles in two venues at the County Building, with screenings starting at 4:30 p.m., plus the New Jersey Highlands Coalition's 13th Annual Art Exhibit on four floors of the same building
- A Children's Fun Festival at Morristown High School with Dinoman, Maniac for Bricks and TJ Hill Magician
- 'Tis the Season, the Morris County Art Association's holiday exhibit at the MPAC Gallery
The night includes a 9 p.m. mid-event celebration aimed at families and a midnight countdown to 2027. Admission buttons cost $20 each, or four for $70, through November 30, through the First Night Morris County ticket page. Button holders also get early access to 10 community events during the year through the organization's FNM365 program.
Four days after First Night, the park's buildings close for six weeks. So the evening of December 31 is the last time this season that the Nast displays, the 250th trees and the county's history programs all fall on the same day. The next morning is New Year's Day, when the park buildings are closed, and they open only through Sunday, January 3.
If you're hosting family this December or putting together your own route between the Green, Macculloch Hall and the Arboretum, the team at The Meena Patel Group is happy to share the downtown spots we like for a coffee break or a late lunch between stops. We're always glad to talk about Morris County, whatever you're planning.
