SCRANTON — Like so many things this year, the holidays are going to be a bit different at the Lackawanna Historical Society’s Catlin House. However, there will be some new “holiday happenings,” virtually and socially-distanced, to help get in the spirit of the holiday season.

On Dec. 16, the society will be teaming up with Brookvalley Farms to offer horse-drawn carriage tours of Downtown Scranton. The tours, scheduled for 7 and 8 p.m., will offer a chance to see the holiday decorations at night, and learn a bit about Scranton’s architecture as well as historical details about holiday traditions and Christmases past in Scranton. Cookies, hot cocoa, and a warm fire will be offered on the porch at the Catlin House to warm up after the tours. Tickets are $25 per person, and space is limited to six people per tour. Face masks are required for all tour participants. Call the society at 570-344-3841 to make your reservations.

There will be a Holiday Emporium Raffle, with prize baskets from local hotels and restaurants, as well as partners like the Circle Drive-in, Montage Mountain Ski Resort, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and the Everhart Museum. Tickets are $2 each, with a free ticket if you purchase five. The raffle will be open until Dec. 16, and winners will be drawn during our horse-drawn holiday tours. Visit the online raffle at lackawannahistory.org/HolidayEmporiumRaffle.html.

The Catlin House continues to be open by appointment only from Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by for a tour of our historic house, to do research on family genealogy and local history, or check some things off your holiday gift list in the bookstore.

If you’d rather stay inside in this chilly weather, stay home and connect via on Zoom. Our Lackawanna Past Times virtual lecture series presents programs on local history topics biweekly on Fridays at 2 p.m. Email Lackawannahistory@gmail.com or check the society’s Facebook page for the Zoom login.

• Friday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m.: “What’s New at the Everhart Museum” with Curator Francesa Saldan features a virtual tour of new exhibits at the Everhart Museum.

• Friday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m.: “The Delaware & Hudson Company” with S. Robert Powell, Director of the Carbondale Historical Society. Dr. Powell will present his most recent research into America’s first million-dollar corporation.

• Friday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m.: “Black Scranton” with Glynnis Johns. Join the founder of the Black Scranton movement to learn more about the often-overlooked history of Scranton’s Black community.

• Friday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.: “Roaring Brook Township” with North Pocono Boy Scout Corey Kowalski. Corey will present what he learned while working on his Citizenship in Community merit badge in the Society library.

If you miss any lectures, or want to see previous programs, videos can be found on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/lackawannahistory/videos.

For more information, contact the society at 570-344-3841 or by email at lackawannahistory@gmail.com.