A full household staff proved particularly necessary when the Edisons entertained. Although Edison was not fond of dinner parties, Mina seemed to enjoy visitors. These might include members of her family, the Millers, or their son Charles and college friends from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yet, due to Edison's international presence, famous persons also appeared with some regularity.

The Glenmont Guest Book, dating between 1895 and 1940, provides a glimpse at some of those visitors. Orville Wright, Helen Keller and educator Maria Montessori signed their names in 1913; John Burroughs, the naturalist, on August 15, 1918. A party held on August 1, 1929 brought Charles and Anne Lindbergh, George Eastman and Henry Ford who noted that his time at Glenmont had been "Two of the best days I ever spent." Entertainment likely included an elaborate dinner and possibly a musicale or dramatic performance.

Events at Glenmont were often tied to visits to the laboratory. On June 17, 1918, the Blue Devils of France, an elite military unit, visited the labs as well as Glenmont. Photographs in the Edison Herald: The Edison Company Magazine show the pilots at both locations. The oft-repeated story of the King of Siam's visit suggests a rare occasion when Edison did not feign illness to get out of entertaining. The 1931 visit of the King and his family remains a strong memory for Madeleine:

He and the rest of the royal party were suppose[d] to go to the laboratory first. They had the red carpet all laid out for them there. But by mistake, the parents of the Queen, the Prince and Princess Vashti, came directly here and one of their party came through the open front door to announce their arrival just as my father came down the stairs in his shirt sleeves and suspenders shouting 'Mom, Mom, where's my other suit?' And Mother wasn't ready for them yet, either. So I had to go outside and reroute them until Mother finished the luncheon arrangements and Father got a coat on.

Family events, such as birthdays and holidays, also received great attention. The Purssell Brothers, of East Orange, baked a special "Locomotive in Cream" to be served at a party for Theodore Edison's third birthday. Purchases of table decorations for "entertainment" on February 10, 1912, were likely intended for celebration of Edison's 65th birthday the following day. The invoice from Wadley and Smythe indicated "Decorating Table with Sheet Moss boxeding [sic] and furnishing flowers for same," flowers included 4 bunches of Forsythia, 3 dozen Pink Killarney Roses, and one dozen American Beauty Roses.

Likely due to Edison's invention of the phonograph, music played a large role in entertainment at Glenmont. It was also important to Mina's view of the proper home life. She expressed, in a talk presented to the National Recreation Congress on October 15, 1929, that "Music is the very soul of recreation in the home." She encouraged family participation in making music, for what was most important was not necessarily performing well, but the act of performing together. She also stressed that listening was important, too: "the radio and mechanical musical instruments do have a contribution to make to home recreation, if the family listens to them with the idea of building up for themselves a mutual interest in music appreciation." The Edisons, then, celebrated music both by performing themselves (particularly on the piano), but also through musical events at the house. The Philharmonic Club performed at Glenmont on February 5, 1890. On May 16, 1891, a "Matinee Musicale," featuring a number of professional and amateur vocalists, was performed at Glenmont to benefit the Fresh Air Fund and Flower Mission.

Of all festivities at the house, the Fourth of July seems to have been Edison's favorite. Two family photographs support this notion. One shows Edison on the front steps of Glenmont with his children dressed in Fourth of July costume; all four look out towards the lawn. In the second photograph, the three children pose together on the lawn. Edison's biographer, Matthew Josephson, notes that on the Fourth Edison devoted his time to his children, rising early in the morning to set off a giant firecracker out on the lawn. One of the children believed that Edison: ". . .became a child himself. . .He would have us children run around barefoot and would throw those little Chinese firecrackers at our feet, enjoying himself hugely." Indeed, an invoice from 1893 lists the elaborate purchases made for the Fourth. Noting that "This Bill Is For Fireworks Only," it included: "2 doz. Pkg. Electric Torp., 1 Dragon's Nest, 1 Devil Among the Tailor, 1 Surprise Box, 1 Floral Fount[ain], 1 [doz.] Rockets, 1 lb., 1 [doz.] 10 B. R. Candles, 1 lb. Colored Fire, 1 Firework Balloon 20 ft."

If Mina had a favorite holiday, it may well have been Christmas, as she arranged for different decorations each year and invited numerous guests. Madeleine recalled that "[the center table in the Dining Room] used to seat about thirty. And there was quite a lot of family plus a lot of strays that Mother used to pull in, people who didn't have any other place to go." Mina planned elaborate, multi-coursed meals. In 1891 the Christmas dinner menu included: Oysters, Consomme, Hard Shell Crab, Good Apple Sauce, Potato Croquettes, Mushroom Patties, Cucumber Salad, Ice Cream, Plum Pudding, Mince Pie, Cheese, Nuts, Raisins, Candy and Fruit. A staunch Methodist, Mina did not favor the consumption of alcoholic beverages. While drinks were served at more formal events, the family did not generally partake, even on holidays.

Christmas decorations changed yearly, but the Christmas tree itself stood in the Den. Theodore Edison remembered that:

. . .this was a place where they often had Christmas parties. The tree used to be right in the middle, and then all the people would come. Christmas was quite a day here, and they often had, oh, maybe 20, 30 people would be in for Christmas dinner. Then they would all come out here and sit around the tree and they would distribute presents, you know.

Mina heavily decorated the tree with ornaments and lights. On November 26, 1901, she purchased "1 Lot of Tree Ornam[ents]" from F.A.O. Schwarz which included: a hansom, deer, horse, donkey, camel, 4 boxes icicles, 1 box ornaments, lanterns, 1/2 dozen snow balls, piano, lamb, banjo, two trumpets, mandolin, two guitars, 2 boxes balls, four butterflies, star, three cornucopias, two silver ornaments, and tinsel strings. Floral decorations generally included holly and poinsettias. In 1909 a table tree and "made up Basket of assorted Plants" were purchased for Christmas; the 1915 celebrations included: 40 Double Holly wreaths, Holly, 50 yds. Double Roping, Mistletoe, and 4 Rosewood wreaths and berries as well as three dozen Christmas dinner favors.

Before sharing the day with guests, however, private family traditions occurred. When the children were young they began the day by waking their parents. With their uncle, they played the phonograph in the second floor hall, gathered their stockings from the fireplace in the Living Room, and sang carols outside of their mother and father's room. After singing, they went in and sat on the bed. Theodore noted that ". . .I think Father got very little out of it, because of course he couldn't hear, and having all these kids climbing all over the place and looking at these presents didn't mean much to him. But it was wonderful for us." This ritual was followed by opening larger gifts under the tree.

While not a joyous event, on October 21, 1931, three days after Edison died in his bed at Glenmont, his funeral was held in the Drawing Room.

Source from: http://www.nps.gov/edis/entglen.htm

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