Get a taste of Christmas past at historic houses

Two historic houses are decked out in their seasonal finery to give visitors a peek at Christmas past in Victoria.

• For two magical weeks, visitors can step through the doors of one of the oldest houses in British Columbia and experience what Christmas would have been like in Victoria more than a century ago, at the Royal B.C. Museum.

On Monday, Helmcken House will welcome visitors to its annual Old-Fashioned Christmas reenactment, with period decorations, music and stories that will take you back to Christmas past.

Admission to the house, built in 1852, is free for the season.

Doors are open noon to 4 p.m. daily (closed on Dec. 25) until Dec. 31.

The house, still on its original site, is adjacent to the Royal B.C. Museum at 675 Belleville St.

For more information, go to royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.

• View winter and Christmasthemed displays, lights and holly at an open house at Point Ellice House on Sunday.

The historic house, which overlooks the Gorge waterway, is one of the oldest homes in Victoria. Built in 1862, it features an Italianate Villa-style popular during the 19th century.

It was occupied by several generations of the same family for 108 years before being sold to the province in 1975.

Apart from a few personal possessions, the family left everything behind, leaving the house with one of North America’s largest collections of late Victorian and early Edwardian objects in their original setting.

A special admission rate of $5 for adults and free for children 16 and under is in effect.

The open house runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday (it repeats Dec. 23) at 2616 Pleasant St.

For more information, go to pointellicehouse.com.