Aurora's holiday season this year starts at the city's history museum. The Aurora History Museum's Festival of Wreaths is on display now, and in early December two of the historic properties the museum looks after open their doors, decorated for the season and free to visit.

The Festival of Wreaths

From Nov. 10 through Dec. 11, the Community Gallery at the Aurora History Museum, 15051 E. Alameda Parkway, is filled with holiday wreaths made by local artists and community members. Visitors can vote for the wreaths they like most and bid on them in a silent auction, either in person at the museum or online. The festival is a fundraiser hosted by the Aurora Museum Foundation and the museum, and the proceeds support the museum's exhibits and education programs.

For anyone who would rather make a wreath than buy one, the museum's Holiday Wreath Crafting Party is Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. A ticket includes two 24-inch blank wreaths plus supplies and decorations, with cider, cookies and music. Participants take one wreath home and donate the other to the festival.

Centennial House, Sunday, Dec. 6

Centennial House, at 1671 Galena Street, opens from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6. The Queen Anne-style house is the oldest of the nine remaining houses built by Donald Fletcher for the planned community he laid out east of Denver. Visitors can tour the house decorated for the holidays and have a seasonal snack. A Historic Houses of Galena Street walking tour leaves at noon for anyone who wants to see the rest of the block.

The DeLaney Historic District, Dec. 5 and Dec. 13

The DeLaney Historic District at 170 S. Chambers Road preserves farm buildings from Aurora's agricultural past. It holds holiday open days on Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with holiday crafts, scavenger hunts and seasonal treats alongside a look at how the land east of Denver was farmed.

Both historic house events are free.

Making a day of it

More of the season happens down the street on East Alameda Parkway. On Tuesday, Dec. 8, the city's Merry Makers Market fills the Aurora Central Library at 14949 E. Alameda Parkway from 4 to 8 p.m. with local and regional makers, and the Holiday Tree Lighting follows on the Municipal Center's Great Lawn from 5 to 7 p.m., with performances by Aurora Dance Hearts and a visit from Santa. The market is free.

The DeLaney open day on Saturday, Dec. 5, and the Centennial House open day on Sunday, Dec. 6, fall on the same weekend.

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