In this episode, Nikki is joined by Ken Turino, a public history career professional and expert on the interpretation of Christmas at historic sites. This week, they’ll be talking about the Boston origins of some of our favorite Christmas traditions, like Christmas cards and Christmas trees. They will also be talking about Ken’s new book Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites, which offers practical guidance on how to use holiday cheer to engage interested visitors without alienating those who don’t celebrate.

Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/342/

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Interpreting Christmas

Ken Turino is a Senior Search Consultant for Museum Search and Reference. Ken is a nationally recognized leader in exhibition development, community engagement, and historic site interpretation. For over two decades, Ken served as the Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development at Historic New EnglandHis award-winning work includes exhibitions like Yankee Remix (with Mass MoCA) and The Importance of Being Furnished, and community projects such as At the River’s Edge, which aired on public television and his Haymarket Project, celebrating Boston’s immigrant history which earned the American Association of State and Local History’s Award of Excellence.

Ken is also an adjunct professor in the Tufts University Museum Studies Program where he teaches courses on the future of historic houses and exhibition planning.

His past books include Reimagining Historic House Museums and a chapter titled “The Varied Telling of Queer History at Historic New England Sites” in the book Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites. His latest work is Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites.

For more context on Christmas cards and the early Puritan prohibition on Christmas, check out our classic podcasts:

Interpreting Christmas, with Ken Turino