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.

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…