What’s in the Whitney Library: New Haven Holidays
Celebrity sightings are nothing new in the Elm City. On March 24, 1868, thousands filled the streets outside the former Tontine Hotel (corner of Church and Court) to get a glimpse of literary giant Charles Dickens. The crowd became so unmanageable that hotel management engaged “two stout porters” for crowd control, creating a much-needed barrier between the crowd and the famed author. On Saturday, December 13, 2025, the New Haven Museum (NHM) will usher in the Christmas season with two programs focusing on Dickens—the author’s wildly popular visit to New Haven and his renowned work, “A Christmas Carol.” Entry for both events is free with regular museum admission.
The festivities will begin with a special “What’s in the Whitney Library?” program, “New Haven Holidays.” Librarian Emma Norden will offer a glimpse of Christmas past from the Whitney Library collection from 12 to 4 p.m. Visitors will view a charming collection of holiday treasures—from handmade Christmas cards from the early 1900s to greetings from overseas soldiers during WW1. It will also include an astonishing article from the December 24, 1950, New Haven Register recounting Dickens’s 1868 Elm City reading of the “Christmas Carol,” replete with rioting crowds and a ticketing scandal so colossal that the entire appearance was rescheduled and re-ticketed. Register here.
At 2 p.m., visitors are invited to also enjoy a one-man performance of Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” as performed by Michael Rose. In his 90-minute cut of the perennial holiday favorite, Rose embodies over a dozen characters, from Ebeneezer Scrooge to Tiny Tim to the three ghosts of Christmas.
