Over the Grand Staircase of the Milwaukee Public Museum, a thirty-six foot-long humpback whale skeleton is suspended.,”To kick off the holiday season, New York City decorates a gigantic tree in Rockefeller Center. Milwaukee lights up a giant whale instead.

Over the grand staircase of the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St., a 36-foot long humpback whale skeleton is suspended. For the Christmas season, it is decorated with more than 500 Christmas lights.

Three years ago, museum workers decided to institute a whale lighting event Friday, Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving.Museum president, Daniel M. Finley, will have the honor of flicking on the lights at 11:30 a.m.

Carrie Trousil, the museum's communications specialist, said there is "no reason to go traditional (when) we can do fun things. (It's a) way to make history and artifacts fun."

This is not the only tradition that occurs at the museum. Dec. 5 and 6, the European village will be covered with decorations from the motherland; each house showing off the holiday traditions of the country it represents. The village is a cross-section of the different European immigrant groups that came to Milwaukee. Thirty-three cultures will be represented.

There will be docents dressed in traditional garb, walking around educating visitors. Lisa Bruemmer, the public program coordinator at the museum, said docent comes from the Latin word "docere" which means "to teach." That is exactly what they will do.

Visitors, including college students, will be able to make traditional crafts such as Polish Wycinanki paper cut outs, holiday cards and Christmas tree ornaments.

In "The Streets of Old Milwaukee" exhibit during the holiday village event, there will be a chocolate chef from The American Club in Kohler, Wis. Free samples of the handmade Kohler Original Recipe Chocolates will be given out. There will also be a free drawing for an overnight stay at Destination Kohler and assorted chocolate gifts.

If another incentive is needed to stop by the Milwaukee Public Museum this holiday season, one can be found in the IMAX holiday movie "Santa Vs. the Snowman," which opens Nov. 28.

The movie relates the story of a lonely snowman that becomes jealous of all the attention Santa receives for Christmas. A polar war soon ensues with hot chocolate squirt guns. Bob Bonadurer, director of Planetarium and IMAX at the museum, said the "spirit of Christmas comes alive" in the movie.

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