Candlelight Christmas will return to the Conestoga Area Historical Society, 51 Kendig Road, Conestoga, on Saturday, Dec. 9. The annual celebration will occur from 5 to 9 p.m., and it will include live music, historically accurate demonstrations from the early 19th century and complimentary refreshments.

A variety of items will be available to purchase from the cellar gift shop, including wreaths and other Christmas decorations. The shop will also sell various books and informational pamphlets on local history and Native American tribes, many of which were written by Conestoga's early occupants.

For the duration of the evening, the museum grounds will be brightened by luminarias and fully decorated for the holiday season. Each building on the property will be open for guests to tour, and volunteers dressed in period-accurate clothing will be located throughout the historic grounds. Multiple volunteers will offer demonstrations of trades such as the tin making, woodworking, basket weaving, blacksmithing and pottery spinning.

In Gundel Hall, pianist Sharon Gantz will play an arrangement of Christmas songs before and after a performance from the Manor Singers at 7 p.m. The choir, which comprises students from Penn Manor High School, will sing a medley of traditional carols and yuletide hymns. Free refreshments will be offered in Gundel Hall, including cookies, coffee and the traditional English beverage wassail. Every year, all refreshments are donated by members of the historical society and its surrounding community.

In addition to the historical society's regular collections, a new exhibit of antique children's toys will be open during the event. The exhibit features multiple cases of toys that belong to museum curator Ken Hoak, and the collection has been passed down from his grandfather. Some of the items are Christmas-themed, and others were made for other holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, but almost every item is more than 100 years old.

"There's nothing more beautiful than seeing the houses open at night and luminarias outside," said Jim Kauffman of the historical society. "A couple years ago we even got snow. It's special, and nothing is prettier."

The Conestoga Area Historical Society has hosted Candlelight Christmas for more than 20 years. Recently, Kauffman has noticed an increased interest in the museum from the younger generations. Young families often bring their children to the museum for events such as Candlelight Christmas and the fall festival, giving the young ones an opportunity to dress up in period-accurate attire and to learn about Conestoga's history. "It's nice to see the kids interested in it," Kauffman said.

For more information, visit http://www.pennmanorhistory.org.