The Putz at the Candle Tea

The Putz (pronounced "puts") is a German word meaning "to decorate" and is a miniature scene.  In Salem, it was common for each family to have a putz in its home, which would always have included a Nativity scene, and sometimes a village or farm scene as well.  Setting up the putz was an exciting family tradition that began with gathering greenery for the scene.  After the scenes were assembled, families visited each other to see each putz.  Our Salem putz is a scale model of what Salem looked like many years ago. You will see carefully constructed replicas of the earliest houses in Salem as well as many daily activities such as laundry being hung on clotheslines, firewood being chopped, even a few deer and cows in places you would not expect them. At our Nativity putz, you will watch the lighted scenes as you listen to the story of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ