STURBRIDGE, Mass. - For more than two decades, Old Sturbridge Village has welcomed the community to 'Christmas by Candlelight.'

"Christmas exploded all over the town of Sturbridge," joked OSV's President and CEO Jim Donahue. "That's what pretty much happens."

It isn't your everyday, contemporary Christmas. The living museum, set in 1830s New England, gives visitors a blast from the past to see what Christmas was like nearly 200 years ago.

"I think it's an opportunity for us to do a couple of things," Donahue said. "One is of course to bring people happiness and joy at a time of year we really want to be doing that for folks. It's also an opportunity to bring people into the history of New England and history of traditions."

On top of traditional holiday celebrations like lights and story telling, the museum dives deep into 19th century traditions. Those stockings many of us hang every season. Imagine making them.

Rachel Hollenbeck, the museum's domestic crafts interpreter, will sit by the fire, hand-knitting stockings as part of the program, in an effort to bring the guests into the living homes of our ancestors.

"Having an actual fire going, having us baking so you can smell that, having people see the stockings or other things that we're working on does make things so much more interesting when you're coming through," Hollenbeck said. "Instead of just having a display, you get to see things happening."

All 200 acres of Old Sturbridge Village are transformed for the holiday season. Among the more popular destinations is the Wish Bridge, giving visitors a bit of hope as they prepare for the year's end.

"What we have is little activities for everybody to write their Christmas wish and hang on a tree so it can come true," said Director of Interpretation Rhys Simmons. "Last year, we had well over 10,000 wishes hung on our Christmas trees."

The program runs through December 30th, and despite the cold, museum leadership says there are plenty of places to stay warm throughout your trek around the village. And for those who are in need of a little Christmas spirit this year, Donahue says they have that special something.

"There's something about the sun setting here, late on a December afternoon with Christmas trees lighting up," said Donahue. "Aesthetically, it's beautiful. Physically, it feels good."