There’s something about Christmas and Victorian settings. To give credit where credit is due, I suppose we have to acknowledge Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol. But it’s more than that. The weather is nippy, and lots of clothes, boots, capes, top hats, and bonnets just feel good and look festive. The Spirit of Christmas Past is the ruler of the day. But in Williamsport, the women who organize Victorian Christmas (get details at victorianchristmaspa.com) have so much more than just bustled dresses, hot toddies, and elegant carriage rides. They have mansions. Real Victorian mansions built when Williamsport was the lumber capital of the world. The only hitch is that most of these houses are also modern family homes, not museums (well, there is one) or movie sets. To allow as many as 1,700 people from across Pennsylvania and nearby states access to private homes takes nerves of steel, the ability to head off disaster at the pass, and organization—lots of organization.

Enter the Williamsport Victorian Christmas Committee—the house chairs and the docents, or room guides. The house committee itself is twenty-two people. Nan Young is one of the original house chairs. She, along with Gloria Miele and Ted Lyons, first talked about an event showcasing the nationally recognized architecture of Williamsport’s Historic District.

“We start meeting about the houses for the event in January,” Nan says, then pauses. “Well, we actually start talking to homeowners about having their house on the tour the year before, or maybe even longer. We keep lists.” Many lists.

Jill Confair, who is on the house selection committee with Nan and Valerie Lundy, follows up.

“We have a worksheet with month by month lists of things that must be done,” she says. The homes for the year are selected by January, with a final list by March. Houses shown are not repeated, usually for at least six years, and the committee has a list of what houses were on tour back to 2008. There is a house chair guide with a suggested timeline, and lists of people who have worked as house chairs and docents in the past. Jill was quick to note that they are always looking for new people.

“The house chair is in charge of helping the homeowner get the house ready,” house chair Kathy Schick explains.

Not all the houses are in the historic district.

“We have at least two homes in the historic district, in addition to the Rowley House [a restored Victorian mansion that is also a museum],” Nan continues. “For our twenty-fifth year, we have eight homes to tour.” Homes not in the historic district are ones with interesting architectural design, and a rich history in Williamsport.

Kathy is the house chair for two houses this year—the Smith/Ulman house on West 4th Street and the Woodmont, a Dutch colonial up in the city’s Vallamont section.

“I have my docents selected by July. It’s two shifts for each room, so I need ten docents for the Pulizzi house (Woodmont) and twelve for the Smith/Ulman house.” Though many of the owners and the house chairs know each other, it’s not necessary that they do. “Some younger people are buying these older homes in the Historic District. It gives me hope,” she says.

The tasks of the house chairs are daunting. They will do the research, often at the historical museum’s library or through deeds in the courthouse, if the homeowner does not know the history of the house. Chairs make sure there is a small space for docents’ coats, some bottled water, and perhaps a wrapped small snack for the four-hour shift. It’s their responsibility to make sure the docents have their scripts, and a QR code of additional information for guests. All the docents are dressed in Victorian attire—a long skirt and festive hat from Nan Young’s collection. In the past, the docent might never see the house she works in prior to the day-of, but, more recently, they do a dry run and see the entire house. One of the most important jobs for the docent is to keep people moving.

Then there is the protection of the property, as unending lines of people walk through a family’s home. This may not just be the parlors and dining areas, but, in the case of the Thomas and Susanna Long house, a Queen Anne in Vallamont, it includes the new renovation that converted the attic to living quarters, with a common room in the turret. If the weather is wet, that may mean booties inside, or plastic runners. Docents are on watch for damage to their room, as younger visitors might be tempted to touch. Visitors are often treated to hot cider, cookies, or candy canes, all arranged by the chair. “But not in the house!” the group chorused.

And what’s Christmas without decorations?

“These are great houses,” Kathy raves. “People want to see them dressed in their finest.” Many of the homeowners already have the perfect holiday adornments and ornaments for their house. But for those who are not Victorian decorators, never fear. The house chair and the committee have a collection of decorations, and can offer pre- and post-tour help. Nan remembers, “Once, we did a house where the owners did not decorate for Christmas. We did it all, right down to the elaborate Christmas trees, then carefully undecorated them at the end of the day.”

And doesn’t a Christmas celebration need music? Williamsport has always been rich in musicians, and they will play at each home. The music chair, with assistance sometimes from the house chairs, organizes the performers. There are two performances for sixty to ninety minutes each in each house.

“It adds beauty to the tour,” Nan says.

Williamsport’s Victorian Christmas is a three-day event, November 22 through 24, with many churches and businesses decorated and hosting special events, including carriage rides, a toy train expo, an Artisan Market, and a Friday night Petticoats to Pillboxes fashion show. Tours are only on Saturday, November 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For this quarter-of-a-century event, the trolley that ferries visitors to the homes will stagger the route, so not everyone starts at the first house. That will ensure a smooth flow for what the committee expects will be a larger than normal attendance.

Tour tickets are available at victorianchristmaspa.com for those wanting to make Christmas past their Christmas present.