In the early evening hours of December, the red-brick cobbled streets of the territorial-themed small town of Guthrie, Oklahoma, were alive with the sound of carolers. With the clatter of turn-of-the-century carriages and the clopping of horse hooves on the streets combined with the smell of warmed spiced cider, the crowds of people dressed in their finest Victorian attire do not seem out of place at all.
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As one of the first communities to form in Oklahoma after the Land Run of 1889, where thousands upon thousands of settlers lined up at the border of the state that was then Indian Territory waiting for the starting gun to race and claim land, Guthrie holds tight to its territorial Victorian roots.
Overnight, 10,000 settlers from the Land Run of 1889 created the community of Guthrie, which became Oklahoma’s first territorial capital. The town was founded during the Victorian era and its still-standing historic buildings and homes were built in the Victorian architectural style. History comes alive every day on its streets.
However, during the holiday season, Guthrie transforms into a Victorian-era Christmas wonderland with the multi-weekend Guthrie Territorial Christmas celebrations.
“We are a Victorian town. We have the traditional Victorian red brick buildings all over town. We have beautiful Victorian homes that are still standing today, and you really feel like you’re stepping back in time just by walking downtown,” said Shawna Rooney, secretary for the Guthrie Territorial Christmas Foundation.
“We wanted people to get something that they don’t get in other towns like big lit-up Christmas trees and ice skating rinks and Christmas bands and things like that. We want you to feel like you were stepping back in time, especially since we still have Victorian architecture throughout the town.”
On three separate weekends in November and December, the quaint southern town of Guthrie transports you to a Victorian-era Christmas with live reenactors, special performances, historic home tours, and so much more.
Opening Weekend: Get In The Christmas Spirit In Charming Guthrie
Opening weekend, held the first Saturday after Thanksgiving (on November 26), is the only non-historical weekend of the Guthrie Territorial Christmas. Held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., this day’s events coincide with the town’s Small Business Saturday shopping event with a Small Business Saturday Sidewalk Sale and Street Festival in historic downtown Guthrie. Downtown is blocked off until 5 p.m. for pedestrian-only games, food and drink vendors, shopping, games, and live entertainment.
The opening day festivities continue into the evening with the annual Christmas parade and lighting of the State Capitol Publishing Museum and Honor Park.
“During that nighttime parade, we have people who run for territorial governor. They raise as many funds as possible and whoever can fundraise the most ends up being our territorial governor for that year,” said Rooney.
“Then we light up the face of the State Capitol Publishing Museum and all the trees and railings at Honor Park, which honors our veterans, and that’s our town’s version of a big Christmas tree.”
Step Back In Time: The Victorian Walk Is A Journey To Christmas Past
On the second and third Saturdays of December, historic downtown Guthrie transforms into a Dickens-era Christmas scene as merchants, street vendors, performers, and guests don their finest Victorian attire to shop, socialize, and take part in holiday events.
“Everyone is dressed in Victorian clothes. We have gunslinger and Cimarron reenactors, territorial dance groups, and live windows,” said Rooney.
“In the live windows, you can watch women dressed in Victorian clothes knitting or see a Victorian Santa and Mrs. Claus sitting in a window. There are a lot of really cool displays to see. We even have steampunk groups this year who are going to be putting on a light show at the end of the night.”
Visitors don’t have to dress up in Victorian garb but are more than encouraged to take part in the celebration. The Guthrie Territorial Christmas Foundation even has a handy little tipsheet that helps visitors “dress the part” without expending too much cost or effort.
Now in its 37th year, the Victorian holiday tradition was started by the merchants downtown to pay homage to the history of the little city. Today, it’s one of the most popular Christmas events in the entire state.
Pro Tip: This year, the celebrations are welcoming the trendy “steampunk” reenactors. In the past, these Victorian walks leaned only to costumes that fit the theme of Territorial Victorian Christmas. To appeal to a wider and younger audience, steampunk attire is now encouraged, which features traditional Victorian pieces such as corsets, petticoats, suspenders, and gowns but with an edgier, almost post-apocalyptic feel.
Shop And Win: Raffles Sweeten The Deal
As part of Guthrie’s “Shop Guthrie & Win” promotion, for every $20 spent at locally-owned merchants in town through December 9, 2022, shoppers receive a chance to win cash prizes up to $3,000. In fact, on opening weekend, shoppers can earn two raffle tickets for every $20 spent, and the winners will be drawn live during the last Victorian Walk event on December 10, 2022.
This charming small town has a wide variety of eclectic one-of-a-kind shops that carry homemade crafts, fine art, antiques, cowboy boots and attire, boutique clothing, and more, found here.
Follow The Music: Carolers, Carriage Rides, And Candy
Shopping and window watching aren’t the only fun to be had during the Guthrie Territorial Christmas events! Roaming bands of Victorian-bedecked carolers will perform throughout the evening, especially at the State Capitol Publishing Museum, which will also serve hot cocoa and cider.
Vintage Victorian carriages will shuttle visitors along the red-brick streets to gaze at Christmas displays and lights while Victorian vendors sell homemade peanut brittle and other goodies along the shopping routes.
“We will have carriages that take people all around town where vehicles aren’t allowed. We also have carriages that are just for taking pictures and viewing,” said Rooney.
“We also have a family that dresses Victorian and carries around baskets full of peanut brittle and other Christmassy-type treats that they sell on the streets. So something is going on everywhere.”
Victorian Mansions Come To Life: Guthrie’s Distinctive Home Tour
One of the biggest fundraisers for the Guthrie Territorial Christmas is the Distinctive Home Tour. In addition to the National Register of Historic Places district of downtown, Guthrie’s residential areas also have original Victorian mansion homes and other distinctive, more modern houses to show off.
For $15, visitors can take a self-guided tour for an exclusive look inside some of Guthrie’s most distinctive homes and historic buildings, decorated for the holiday season from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on December 3.
“We have anywhere from five to seven homes throughout town and they’ll be all completely decked out in Christmas decor,” said Rooney. “The people invite you into the home and let you see all of the Christmas decorations and tell you the history of the home. The tour also includes the Guthrie Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, the publishing museum, and our Methodist Church.” Tickets can be pre-purchased online.
For a truly historic and unique Christmas experience in one of the most charming southern towns in Oklahoma, the Guthrie Territorial Christmas will certainly transport you to a Victorian-era Christmas experience unlike any other.
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