Wish Christmas was less about presents and more about family and friends, like in the olden days? Well you can get a taste of that old-fashioned Christmas cheer this Saturday when Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site hosts its Iron Plantation, which will celebrate 100 years of Christmas in America.

Dec. 5, the furnace will offer displays of Christmas through the ages that includes actors in period attire explaining the rituals and habits of Christmas from 1795-1875, the years the furnace was in operation.

There will also be carolers belting out holiday favorites at Bethesda Church, which is open especially for this day. There will even be carriage rides from Hendershot Hitch to the church.

The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“This is an opportunity to travel back in time and experience Christmas the American way,” Park Superintendent Edie Shean-Hammond said. “The Belsnickel will be on hand to reward and also scold deserving youngsters. There will be plenty of unique gifts in the Village Store, including pieces of historic charcoal for that perfect stocking gift."

Bethesda Church is located one mile east of the main iron furnace community, on Bethesda Road. Directions on how to reach the church will be available at the park’s visitor center or by contacting the park at 610-582-8773.

Carriages will depart from the visitor center in time for passengers to arrive at the church for caroling at 11:00 a.m., noon, and 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Donations to offset the costs of this transportation will be accepted.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site preserves and interprets an early American industrial landscape from natural resource extraction to enlightened conservation. The site is surrounded by the 73,000-acre Hopewell Big Woods, the largest forest in Southeastern Pennsylvania.