Christmas in the Air

When we think of Christmas, we often remember traditions: special time with family and friends, singing carols, holiday travel, and spiritual celebration. We also think of gifts. EAA is blessed with the gifts of time and effort from our dedicated volunteers. During the holiday season, those contributions make Christmas in the Air in the EAA AirVenture Museum is one of our most popular and successful events. Volunteers help make it possible – this year, that was more than 200 hours of service by 45 volunteers who welcomed more than 5,700 guests to the museum for a tradition that started back in 1984. Working hand in hand with EAA staff, volunteers help transform the museum into the perfect holiday location, with numerous Christmas trees, festive decorations all around, and twinkling lights hung throughout.  Volunteers take great delight in distributing cookies and milk to visitors, assisting children with special letters to Santa, and providing assistance wherever needed. In addition, Christmas in the Air helps the community: This year’s open house on December 6 included a food drive and a “Giving Tree” to help less fortunate families. That brought a tremendous response, as more than 1,000 pounds of food was collected and 100 gifts made Christmas brighter for Oshkosh-area families.

Christmas in the Air is a shining example of EAA’s greatest gift - the fantastic effort that volunteers give throughout the year that make the EAA museum such a special place in the Oshkosh community.