Christmas is coming to the Pioneer Museum of Alabama tonight and the community is invited to celebrate the season the “old time” way through Saturday.

Old Time Christmas will begin at 6 o’clock nightly through Saturday. It’s a come and stay as long as you like event and there’s no admission charge.

“Old Time Christmas is a gift to the community from the museum and we invite everyone to join us for this special holiday event,” said Jerry Peak, museum director.

Most of the buildings on the grounds will be decorated for the Christmas season, and luminaries will light the way from one building to the other. The museum train will be running to take visitors around the grounds.

“The Nativity scenes that were painted last year by local churches will be on the grounds for viewing,” Peak said. “And, we’ll also have paintings that were done several years ago that depict the style of dress for the Christmas season from the 1920s through the 1980s. Those paintings have not been out for several years and we thought people would really enjoy them.”

Four of the museum’s out buildings will serve refreshments.

There will be hot spiced cider in the Reunion Cabin, hot chocolate in the demonstration cabin, lemonade in the schoolhouse and coffee in the general store.

Fires will be blazing in both the Reunion Cabin and the demonstration cabin.

“Each building will have finger foods and there will be guides to show visitors around and answer questions,” Peak said. “Members of the Ficus Garden Club will be the hosts at the Reunion Cabin, Eloise Kirk and Amy Vinson at the schoolhouse, K.T. Valkyrie at the demonstration cabin and Grover Poole at the Adams General Store.

Calvin Bodiford and other acoustic instrument musicians will be playing in the Reunion Cabin and at other locations.

“The Ficus Garden Club has decorated the Reunion Cabin much as it would have been decorated for Christmas during pioneer days,” Peak said. “Several other buildings have been decorated for the Christmas season.”

In the museum’s main building, children will have an opportunity to make a Christmas ornament to take home and also to meet and talk with Father Christmas. Parents and grandparents are encouraged to bring their cameras to take photographs of their little ones with Father Christmas.

Six vendors will set up shop inside the museum with a variety of items for sale, including ceramics, embroidery work, pillows, plaques and small and large woodcrafts.

“The museum’s gift shop will also be open and we have one table set up with items marked 50 percent off,” Peak said. “Those who enjoy stepping back to an Old Time Christmas will really enjoy this event.”