The eleventh annual Victorian Christmas was hosted by
the Sauk County Historical Society on Saturday, December 11th. And despite the snowy weather, 200 enthusiast visitors came out to see the twelve decorated Christmas
trees, listen to live music and taste the holiday goodies. The trees are decorated by
designers, florists, businesses and volunteers including The Flower Shop of
Spring Green; Bekah Kate’s, Amber Moon and the Village Booksmith of Baraboo;
Alan Boehmer Interior Design of Sauk Prairie; The Little French Bakery and
Woofus Pet Spa of North Freedom; and DREAMS, Ann Miller and Dave Saloutos of
Baraboo. This year,Saloutos, who has created rooms portraying
Christmas from the 1930s to the 1970s, has created an entire room devoted to
Christmas during World War II. The room features a tribute to Saloutos’
father Harry, who spent a Christmas stationed in the Aleutian Islands. In
another room of the mansion, a Currier and Ives porcelain Christmas village featuring
over 20 buildings is on display. This year’s showcase
centerpiece is a gingerbread replica of the Van Orden Mansion itself. The
gingerbread mansion was designed by Paul Wolter, society president, and crafted by Society volunteers with the help of
Susan Holding at the Little French Bakery. The Victorian Christmas trees and decorations will be up until the end of February, so stop by and see this magnificent display. The museum is open Wed through Sat, noon until 4 pm. Bring the kids!
