Ep. 21 — The Holidays at Your Museum
The holiday season is a great time for museums to create special memories for their staff, their visitors and their community. In today’s episode, Amy shares lots of ideas that you can use at your museum to make this time of year special and meaningful.
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Episode Transcript
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The holiday season is a great time for museums to create special memories for their staff, their visitors and their community. In today’s episode, I’m sharing ideas that you can use at your museum to make this time of year special and meaningful. Let’s get started.
Welcome to the Love My Museum podcast! I’m your host Amy Kehs and I love museums. I’m also a brand strategist and the creator of the Love my Museum suite of services, free and affordable resources—like this podcast—designed for museum professionals. I can’t believe it but we’re getting close to the end of the year and I thought today we’d talk about the holiday season at your museum. I have some ideas that will help you make this time of year more meaningful and special for your museum staff, your visitors and your community.
First, let's talk about your team. In the United States, November is when we celebrate Thanksgiving. We gather around the table with family and friends to give thanks. At my thanksgiving table we go around and ask “So, what are YOU thankful for?” And the answers of course are usually giving thanks for the things on the table, or the people sitting around the table. But we don’t often think about giving thanks at work too. After all, we spend a significant part of our lives at work, often side-by-side with colleagues who support, challenge, and inspire us. November should also be a time to show gratitude for the people in our work lives as well. Of course you could send an email but I challenge you to level up your gratitude even if it's just a little bit.
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For example, say it in person. In this age of texting and emailing, it can mean a lot to take the time to stop by someone’s desk and say, “thank you.” A genuine “thank you for staying late last week to help me wrap up that project” can go a long way in making someone feel valued. You never know what kind of impact that might have, what bad day you might be giving a boost.
You could also write a note of gratitude. Yes, I mean actually pen and paper. I’m a big lover of paper. I still have sticky notes and cards from bosses and coworkers for helping with a project or doing a great job on a project. If you’re the receiver of these notes of thanks keep them all in one place like a folder to look through when you're having a bad day. I’m looking at one now that….hangs out in the bottom of my desk drawer and show themselves at the darnedest times when I need it most. Never underestimate the power of a handwritten note—whether it’s a sticky note, a postcard, or a formal thank-you card, the gesture has a lasting impact.
You could bring them a small token of your gratitude and appreciation. It shows them not only that you are grateful for them, but also that you SEE them and that you have taken note of what they like and who they are.
One last note about gratitude. While I’d love for you to make it an annual holiday tradition, there’s no reason why you can’t carry this habit of gratitude throughout the year.
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Make it a habit to jot down the people that made it possible. Write down the people that helped you every day and the people that swooped in to rescue you when you needed it most. After the big project is over, consult your list and send an email of gratitude. It’s remarkable how even a few words of thanks and praise will help improve your work relationships.
So why is all of this important? Why all the gratitude? Studies show that expressing gratitude increases performance and also makes for happier and healthier work relationships. Gratitude can also be contagious. Appreciating someone can set in motion a domino effect of gratitude. And couldn’t the world use a little more of that right now?
So as you gather around the Thanksgiving table this year, don’t forget to also set a place for gratitude at your desk. Start with one small gesture, and watch how it grows.
Next, let’s talk about the visitor experience. You know that I think every museum needs to work to create annual events and traditions for its community. You want visitors to come back to your museum and bring a friend and establishing an annual event is a great way to do that. The holiday season is a great opportunity for museums to do this. It is also a chance to showcase your museum’s collection in a different way. I have so many ideas for this one, I’ll link a blog post in the show notes with a complete list but here are a few from that list.
The first, of course, is seasonal decor and exhibits. Welcome visitors with festive decorations that reflect your museum’s theme.
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For a historical museum, traditional holiday décor can transport guests to another era, while an art museum might play with winter-inspired installations. If you’re a zoo or nature center, choose a theme that is nature or conservation inspired. You might create a seasonal themed “mini-exhibit.”
The second idea is to host holiday themed tours. If your museum offers guided tours, consider adding a holiday twist to them. Incorporate seasonal stories, artifacts, or artworks related to winter celebrations, and give visitors a fresh perspective on your collection. You could even run a special evening or candlelit tour.
The third idea is to plan interactive family activities. The holiday season is a time when families are looking for things to do together, so consider family-friendly activities like crafting workshops, holiday scavenger hunts, or even interactive storytelling sessions. These types of activities can be fun for visitors of all ages and provide hands-on learning experiences that parents and kids will love.
Another idea is to collaborate with local businesses for holiday events. Collaborate with local businesses to create a holiday market or event series that draws in the community.
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You could invite local artisans to set up booths or partner with a nearby bakery to sell festive treats on-site. This kind of partnership can increase foot traffic and make your museum a hub for local holiday festivities. It could be a “Holiday Open House” day with free admission, featuring pop-up vendors, live music, and seasonal snacks for a fun and inviting experience.
For any of these, consider incorporating a takeaway item. Send visitors home with a lasting memory. Give visitors something to remember their visit by offering a small, holiday-themed takeaway. This could be as simple as a holiday postcard featuring one of your exhibits or a photo booth where visitors can snap pictures with festive props. Small tokens like these create positive associations with your museum and give visitors a reason to return.
Okay, so we’ve talked about how to make your museum a special place by giving thanks for your team and we’ve talked about things that you can do for your visitors. The third thing I want to talk about is working together to give back to the community. The holiday season is a perfect time to focus on giving back, and I think museum teams are uniquely positioned to make a positive impact in their communities.
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Working in a museum means you’re already committed to preserving history, culture, or art, so why not extend that commitment by supporting those in need? Here are some ideas to help museum teams make the season a bit brighter by volunteering together and strengthening community bonds. It is also a chance for staff to bond while supporting meaningful causes together.
Volunteering as a team is a powerful way to build camaraderie while making a positive impact. Consider scheduling a team volunteering day where staff can spend a few hours helping a local charity or participating in a community event. Activities like serving meals, wrapping gifts for children, or organizing supplies at a food bank are great options for museum teams who want to work together and support a meaningful cause. Look for charities that align with your museum’s mission. For example, if your museum focuses on history, volunteer with a historical preservation society. For an art museum, consider partnering with an arts nonprofit that provides free art supplies to children.
Another idea is to collect donations for a local cause. Creating a donation drive is a simple and effective way to support your community. You could create friendly competition between departments to see who can collect the most. Invite museum visitors to help too, set up a collection area at your museum’s entrance. Offer free or discounted admission if museum visitors bring a donated item. Use your museum’s social media and newsletters to get the word out.
Instead of exchanging gifts among team members, consider adopting a family in need or supporting a local charity by buying gifts from their wish list. Your team can collectively purchase gifts, wrap them, and deliver them to the charity.
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Museums are full of unique talents and resources that can be harnessed for a good cause. Use your space to host a holiday workshop, craft night, or family day where the proceeds go to charity. It’s a wonderful way to share your museum’s mission while also giving back to the community.I have more ideas in a blog post on my website, I’ll leave that linked in the show notes as well.
To sum up, the holiday season offers museums so many opportunities to create memories for your staff and your museum. These traditions become part of your story and they help your visitors and your staff fall in love with your museum. Having that support creates a lasting legacy.
Thanks for joining me today on the Love My Museum podcast. If you try any of these ideas, I’d love to hear about them! Join the Love my Museum Facebook group and share with us!
Happy holidays everyone.
