Celebrating its 35th year, the Brandywine River Museum of Art’s annual Holiday Critter Sale returns Friday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 6. Critters are delightful, distinctive ornaments and tabletop decorations that are handmade locally using natural materials. Critters come in all shapes and sizes from whimsical animals — like cats, dogs, reindeer, and bears — to heavenly angels and stars. Using their imaginations, the Critter-maker volunteers work with natural materials such as pinecones, acorns, eggshells, flowers, and seed pods to give each Critter its own unique personality and expression.

New safety practices, including capacity limits, face mask requirements, and social distancing, will be in place when attending the sale in the Museum's River Room this year. Credit and debit card payment is preferred to limit person-to-person contact.

New for this year: For those who prefer to shop online — for the first time ever — the Brandywine is now offering a small selection of some of its most popular Critters for sale online. To browse and shop for Critters online, visit: www.brandywine.org/critters

Critter prices range from $5 to $35, with specialty items from $50 to $250. Brandywine volunteers have been creating Critters for more than 40 years, with all proceeds benefitting the Volunteers’ Art Purchase Fund and Art Education & Programming.

Sale hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional Critters will be available for sale in the museum’s River Room beginning Dec. 7, through Jan.10, while supplies last.