Holidays with the Historian 2022
Back in 2022, I got to experience an amazing seasonal tour at the Winchester Mystery House called “Holidays with the Historian” with estate historian, Janan Boehme. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, historical attire was strongly encouraged. Basically, we would walk through the house, uncovering Victorian Christmas traditions and admiring the seasonal decor throughout the home.
Dressing for Holidays with the Historian
Obviously, a Victorian inspired event calling to dress up was an opportunity I was not going to pass up. In light of the occasion, I dusted off my black and white striped Victorian gown and tacked on little beaded spiders. In short, these thirteen spiders went all over from my head, as hair pieces, down to adorning my butterfly train. Sadly, the dinner jacket I originally made for this skirt and train no longer fit. As a last-minute remedy, I purchased a lace top from Amazon as a replacement. To finish the look, I cozied up in my cobweb batwing sweater from Ains & Elke Stylehaus.
Holidays with the Historian 2022 Tour Overview
The tour followed the standard route with some distinct differences. Traveling through each room, a Victorian tradition or a beautifully decorated Christmas tree called our attention. Along the tour, our party size grew. By the evening’s end, the spirit of Christmas Past, some carolers and a story teller had joined us. Our party ended up in the ballroom, with a sparkling toast and seasonal sweets waiting for us. While enjoying these treats, we were free to explore the first floor, from the ballroom to the twin dining rooms. As we concluded the tour, we were give an unexpected party favor.
Thirteen Christmas Trees
As we explored the holidays with the historian through each room, we would come across these gorgeously decorated Christmas trees. Naturally, there were thirteen trees in total. Every tree had a story. Either it matched a stained glass window, represented the theme of the room, or shared a little bit about Sarah. Scroll through each tree image for the full details.
The colors of this tree match the colors of the infamous colored cobweb stained glass window. 
Decorated in red roses, burgundies and golds to compliment the colors of the room and the memorial framed photo of Sarah Winchester. 
A winter-scape to represent the snowy winters of Connecticut, where Sarah was born and raised, very different from the winters she would experience in California. 
Fans, butterflies, cherry blossoms and painted ornaments adorned this tree to compliment the Japanese accents of Marion’s room. 
On display beside the tree are the windows that used to hang above the doorways in the Hall of Fires. The tree is decorated in peacocks to pay tribute to the teal orbs in the stained glass. 
Covered in insect and bird ornaments to represent the flourishing plants that would occupy the conservatory. 
Themed to compliment the colors of the stained glass daisy windows for which this room is named after. Daisy ornaments also accompany the baubles. 
This room to the right of the linen closet hallway contained a tree colored to match a door that leads to nowhere with a stained glass window of bright reds and sky blues. 
Covered in local citrus fruits of lemons and oranges to represent the bountiful harvests of Sarah’s backyard orchards, readily available nearly year round. 
Decorated like a true Victorian Christmas tree, traditionally, they were small and sat on top of a surface near the fireplace. These trees were usually decorated with small toys and sweets for children to eat. 
This tree was decorated with instrument ornaments and red poinsettias as some believe that the grand ballroom was actually intended to be more of a music room than a dancing space. 
This tree brings attention to the details of the restored room with fleur de lis ornaments and colors of silver, bronze and gold. 
This final tree is covered in a tea pot and tea cups as the venetian dining room would have most likely been a room where Sarah would host tea time.
Victorian Holiday Traditions
Naturally, one cannot celebrate the holidays with the historian of the house without learning a little about Victorian Christmas traditions. In tandem to tree decor education, we got to learn about the many Victorian Christmas traditions Sarah may have celebrated. (I think holiday celebrations of any time and culture extremely interesting, so pardon my enthusiasm!)
To kick off the list of traditions, the first Christmas card ever printed was on display in the carriage entrance. As we moved along up to the hay loft, some delightful holiday cards were to be seen. These illustrations were quite silly from dead cardinals to children baked into pies. As we moved along to Sarah’s bedroom, the Ghost of Christmas past greeted us. Here, we learned that Victorian Christmas parties would focus on the children first. They would trim the tree, put out their stockings, then be put to bed. Meanwhile, the adults stayed up as the real fun began.
Consequently, Ghost joined our party as we moved on to the South Conservatory. Upon entering, a gentleman seated in a rocking chair grabbed out attention. He diligently cut out paper snowflakes to adorn the wintery tree beside him. Correspondingly, we received a template of a spiderweb snowflake to embrace the Victorian practice of handmade decorations. Along our route back downstairs, we came across a trio of carolers, although I don’t quite remember where. Nonetheless, they sang us carols with each new room and educated us about wassailing.
A Victorian Cocktail Party
Thus, we stopped to relax in the unfinished ballroom, where a storyteller greeted us with two beautifully haunting tales. This was to represent the ghost stories and parlor games one would play at a Christmas party. During which, we switched to playing “Winchester’s Cat”. Stories shared and games played, our now sizable party made our way into the parlor, greeted by a modest tree. Decorated in toys and popcorn garland, it was an example of a true Victorian Christmas tree. Tiny children stockings hung above the fireplace, waiting for Santa.
Finally, it was time to enter the Grand Ballroom. Here, a feast of sweets and sparkling refreshments awaited us. Although this “party” was brief, it was a magical 30 minutes that still sits with me to this day. With drinks in hand, guests could wander the first floor freely. To be exact, our “party” space spanned from the grand ballroom to the parlor and the twin dining rooms. At this point, I stole a few pictures with Ghost as the carolers serenaded us. Then, I became particularly enamored with this adorable fireplace in the back of the twin dining rooms flanked by, you guessed it, two stained glass cobweb windows.
While I wandered back and forth along the dining tables, my thoughts wandered. What might Sarah have been thinking as she walked these same steps? A moment of wonder hit me. How amazing would it be to continue experiencing moments like this in the halls of Winchester in the future? Then, the storyteller came over and shared a delightful tale of important discovery made during this room’s renovations.
Festive Farewells
This time felt too short as we were soon gathered in the ballroom once more. To end the evening, we were sent on to our final stop in the Venetian dining room. Carolers sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” in farewell and gifted little goodie bag. Many goodies filled them, including an ornament from one of the Christmas trees in the house.
To this day, that ornament is a cherished possession of mine. I check every year to see if another version of this tour returns. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of attending some pretty amazing experiences. However, this one still stands out as one of my top favorites. When it comes to holiday tours, they have hosted candlelight tours ending with a cookie and cider and pulled off spooky festive fairs on the garden grounds, but nothing has quite compared to this experience. Should Winchester ever revisit this tour, I would not hesitate to purchase a ticket.
Chelsea
Multiple interests and resourceful optimism keeps this mama of two always at the ready for life's next adventure. Meet your hostess here.
