On seven evenings this season, visitors to the Hermitage at 335 North Franklin Turnpike will walk its rooms and climb its stairs in light the museum keeps dim on purpose. The Hermitage's Candlelight Holiday Tours start on Sunday, November 29, and run through Sunday, December 20, with groups going in at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m.
The museum also has a free tree lighting, a children's tea and a four-performance musical on the calendar. Altogether, the Hermitage has something on ten of the twenty-two days between November 29 and December 20. The borough's own Holiday Lighting Event falls on one of those ten days. Planning a Ho-Ho-Kus December this year mostly means planning around one museum.
Ten Dates in Twenty-Two Days
The table below lays the season out by date, using the Hermitage's event listings, First Flight Theatre Company's performance schedule and the Ho-Ho-Kus Borough calendar.
| Date | At the Hermitage | Elsewhere in the borough |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Candlelight Holiday Tours, 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. | |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Candlelight Holiday Tours, 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. | Borough Holiday Lighting Event, 6:00 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Annual Tree Lighting; Candlelight Holiday Tours | |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Children's Nutcracker Tea | |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Candlelight Holiday Tours | |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | A Christmas Carol musical, 7:00 p.m. | |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | A Christmas Carol musical, 3:00 p.m.; Candlelight Holiday Tours | |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Candlelight Holiday Tours | |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | A Christmas Carol musical, 7:00 p.m. | |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | A Christmas Carol musical, 3:00 p.m.; Candlelight Holiday Tours |
Every weekend from Thanksgiving through December 20 has at least one Hermitage evening. Three dates hold two events each. The candlelight tours are also the only events on the Fridays of December 11 and 18. Those two Fridays and the opening Sunday after Thanksgiving are the quietest tour nights.
What the Candlelight Tours Are This Year
The Hermitage built this year's tours around America's 250th anniversary. On its AllEvents listing, the museum frames the season like this:
"As America's 250th nears a close, celebrate one last time."
The same listing says each room "will be transformed to reflect a unique period of America inspired by its 250 years and the people who lived here." The museum describes the tours as returning and presents them as a way to support the landmark. So each room shows a different period of history this year, and the season is tied to an anniversary that ends with the calendar year.
Tickets cost $25 per person. Space is limited, and the museum asks guests to reserve ahead and to arrive ten minutes early because tours start promptly. The tours involve walking and stairs, and the rooms are kept dim for atmosphere. That matters for anyone bringing a grandparent or carrying a toddler.
For comparison, the Hermitage's regular Friday-through-Sunday guided tours run about an hour at 1:15, 2:15 and 3:15 p.m. They cost $10 for adults and $5 for children. Children under five and members of the Hermitage or the North American Reciprocal Museum network get in free. Regular tours pause on special-event days. The evening tour costs $15 more than an adult afternoon ticket, and on the busiest December dates the afternoon tours may not run at all. If you want to see the house in daylight first, go early in the season.
Friday, December 4, Starts Twice at Six
On Friday, December 4, two events start at the same time. The borough lists its Holiday Lighting Event at 6:00 p.m. that Friday, and the Hermitage's first candlelight group goes in at 6:00 p.m. as well.
If you want both, the 7:00 p.m. tour is the only slot that doesn't start at the same minute as the lighting. With the ten-minute early arrival the museum asks for, you would need to be at the Hermitage by 6:50. Book that slot first. December 4 is one of only seven tour nights, and each night has just two groups, so the 7:00 p.m. slot that Friday is likely to go quickly.
Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6
The next evening, the Hermitage holds its Annual Tree Lighting, which is free. It shares the date with another round of candlelight tours. With the borough lighting on Friday and the museum's on Saturday, Ho-Ho-Kus has two lighting nights in a row. Together they cost nothing, unless you add a $25 tour on either night.
On Sunday, December 6, the museum hosts the Children's Nutcracker Tea. Tickets are listed at $20 to $25. It is the only event in the museum's December lineup that is billed for children, and it closes out the weekend with the most going on.
The Dickens Weekends Share Two Sundays With the Tours
The second half of the season belongs to First Flight Theatre Company. Together with the Hermitage, the company presents Dickens Presents A Christmas Carol The Musical at the museum. Performances are Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. on December 12, 13, 19 and 20. Tickets are listed at $35.
Both Sunday matinees fall on candlelight tour nights. On December 13 and again on December 20, the musical starts at 3:00 p.m. and the tour groups go in at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. On either Sunday, one house has both a matinee and an evening tour. December 20 is also the final night of the tours, so it is the last chance this season to see the 250th-anniversary rooms.
Taken together, the musical and the tours fill three consecutive days at the Hermitage twice: once from December 11 to 13, then again from December 18 to 20. On each of the two Saturdays in those stretches, December 12 and 19, the musical is the only Hermitage event.
Before and After the Museum's Season
The Hermitage's holiday season started before the tours. The museum shop held the grand opening of this year's Winter Market on Saturday, November 14. The event offered local artisans, gourmet foods and treats, exclusive Hermitage gifts, and raffles and prizes. Admission was free and no tickets were needed. For the musical, First Flight Theatre Company sends ticket buyers to thehermitage.org/events.
After December 20, the borough's holiday calendar shifts to the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern. The Inn's Christmas Eve dinner runs on Thursday, December 24, with seatings from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. and a limited à la carte menu. Reservations are required. One week later, on Thursday, December 31, the Inn's New Year's Eve dinner ends with a midnight champagne toast to 2027. Reservations are also required.
With Thanksgiving a week away, the planning comes down to a short list:
- Reserve the candlelight tour slot you want, and make it 7:00 p.m. on December 4 if you plan to attend the borough lighting at 6:00.
- Pick a Dickens performance. The Saturday evenings stand alone, and the Sunday matinees pair with a tour night.
- Keep Saturday, December 5, open for the free Annual Tree Lighting.
- Book the Nutcracker Tea for December 6 if there are young children in the family.
- Make Inn reservations for December 24 or 31 early, since both dinners are reservation-only.
At My Bergen House, we live and work in the towns we write about, and the Hermitage's December is one of the best things Ho-Ho-Kus has. Till Horkenbach and Kelly O'Brien are glad to share what we know about the borough, whether you're planning a season of evenings or a bigger move. When the time comes to think about your own home, we're here to help. Get your home valuation.
