OTTUMWA — When Charles Dickens celebrated Christmas in England, he may have seen some of the same sights Ottumwans saw Sunday.

The Wapello County Historical Museum hosted an open house with a Victorian Christmas theme.

“It’s the period of time when Queen Victoria ruled England,” explained Shelley Little, a museum board member. That time in the 1800s saw the works of Charles Dickens, she said, an author whose books give a view of the era.

Displays were changed up to reflect the season, with old-fashioned toys, dinner plates and Christmas ornaments. A craft area allowed visitors to string together dried apples slices on a ribbon, which could then be hung on their tree like the Victorians would have done.

Little was dressed in period outfit, as were other volunteers.

“We’ve been involved the past few years,” said Pam Schell-Cloyd of the Ottumwa Community Children’s Playhouse. “We provide the actors and the costumes.”

When it comes to performers looking like they strolled out of a Dickens novel or another time period, “we can do just about anything,” said performer Holly Dommer.

The two were part of a group of carolers who wore old-fashioned dresses and shawls as they sang Christmas songs.

“We try to keep it [authentic to the] period,” said Dommer about the music.

“We’re not doing ‘Rudolph,’” said Schell-Cloyd. “I have these old [song] books. [For example], Martin Luther wrote ‘Away in a Manger’ around 1500.”

In another museum room, Little was on her way to a reading; she had brought books explaining how Christmas has practiced differently based on place and year. Guest readers throughout the day presented the historical books.

“In Victorian times, the more upper class people or places may have celebrated a Victorian Christmas. But out on the prairie, things were different; you were too busy trying to survive,” Little said.

Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.