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Portland, OR — Santa Claus is landing his sleigh at the Oregon Historical Society (OHS) this Saturday, December 21, from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Admission to the museum is free all day (museum hours are 10am to 5pm), and visitors are invited to take their own photos with St. Nick inside the popular Meier & Frank Santaland display.
Generations of Oregonians have fond memories of the downtown Portland Meier & Frank department store’s Santaland. A ride on the iconic monorail and a chance to sit on Santa’s lap became a Christmas tradition for many families. Following the closure of Macy’s downtown store (which purchased Meier & Frank in 2005), a small number of items from Santaland were donated to the Oregon Historical Society.
In what has become a holiday tradition, OHS is excited to welcome visitors to experience this nostalgic vignette featuring Rudolph, animatronic elves, holiday decor, a model of the famous monorail, and even the well-remembered Cinnamon Bear costume!
Santaland will be on view at the Oregon Historical Society, located at 1200 SW Park Avenue in downtown Portland, through January 2, 2025. The museum is open daily; please note OHS will be closed December 23—25 and January 1 for the Christmas and New Years holidays.
About the Oregon Historical Society
For 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all.We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and complex as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view.
Portland, OR — Kick off the holiday season on Sunday, December 8 at Holiday Cheer: A Celebration of Oregon Authors. Visit with more than 60 local writers as you sip on hot cocoa, listen to carols, and get a jump on your holiday shopping!
For 55 years, OHS has celebrated the state’s rich literary talents at this annual book signing event. This year, some of the Pacific Northwest’s most prominent authors will be at OHS selling everything from children’s books to guidebooks to mysteries to histories! View a full list of participating authors at ohs.org/holidaycheer.
To add to the holiday cheer, The Dickens Carolers will be strolling through the museum performing lively holiday songs from 1:30pm–2:30pm, and Santaland is back on view! Visit this nostalgic vignette, which features items from the original Meier & Frank Santaland including Rudolph, animatronic elves, holiday decor, a model of the famous monorail, and even the famous Cinnamon Bear costume! Each year, our museum team adds a new “Easter egg” to the display; can you spot the difference this year?
Book sales at Holiday Cheer support the Oregon Historical Society’s mission to preserve our state’s history and make it accessible to everyone in ways that advance knowledge and inspire curiosity about all the people, places, and events that have shaped Oregon.
Holiday Cheer begins at noon and authors will be signing until 4pm. Admission is free to both the book sale and to visit museum exhibitions, with OHS’s galleries open until 5pm. In addition to Santaland, current exhibitions include A Fountain of Creativity: Oregon’s 20th Century Artists and the Legacy of Arlene Schnitzer and Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West.
About the Oregon Historical Society
For nearly 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and complex as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view.