Midwinter With the Scots, an event that will feature bagpiping, stories, singing, and tea to get you in the holiday spirit, will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Homestead National Monument of America Education Center.

Lori McAlister, a renowned researcher on Scottish traditions, led a project to capture the oral history of Scottish holiday memories from Jean Drysdale Granlund, Fred Scott, Christine Cathro, and Ken Bunnell. They will join her to share their Scottish stories, traditions and memories. Kevin Arnold, a Highland bagpiper will pipe for the group. Traditional Scottish tea will be served after the presentation.

“This will be a fun afternoon as visitors will get an authentic look at the special ways the Scottish celebrated the holidays and hear actual oral histories,” said Superintendent Mark Engler. “Visitors will also enjoy the many decorated trees on display.”

In addition, Homestead National Monument of America, located in Beatrice, Nebraska, will be presenting the Winter Festival of Prairie Cultures and Holiday Tradition Through the Decades until January 2, 2017. These sparkling holiday displays from many countries showcase ethnic traditions of the people who came to places like Nebraska so they could file Homestead Claims and become landowning citizens of this great nation.

The displays will be both at the Homestead Education Center and Heritage Centers. Decorated trees and tabletop displays feature ornaments and hand-made crafts that reflect the spirit of hope, humor, traditions, and generosity which characterized settlers of the West. Cultures represented include Czech, French, German, Hispanic, Irish, Polish, Scottish, Swedish, and Welsh.

New this year and in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial is a special display titled “Americana Holiday Décor through the Decades." This display at the Education Center contains 15 trees. The display highlights the different traditions through the decades starting with the 1860s through the present. Bob and Lorine Mares, from Wilbur, Nebraska, developed this display to showcase their more than 20 years of collecting holiday ornaments and trees.