Experience the Eerie Side of the Season at Heritage Square

A ghostly yarn told at the yuletide?

It may seem like an unlikely match-up, but for many people, hearing stories of spirits at the most spirited time of year is a potent pairing, as Christmassy as figgy pudding topped by a sprig of holly or snowfall during a sleigh ride.

You can see this atmospheric and arresting duo at poignant play in tales like "A Christmas Carol," but many Victorian writers were playing with the genre, the one that wove phantoms into the most festive stretch of the year.

To honor this time-honored tradition, Heritage Square Museum is holding an evening devoted to Victorian Ghost Stories and Candlelit Tours on Sunday, Dec. 11.

The Arroyo Parkway-adjacent historical park, which features several vintage Victorian homes and buildings, will give guests the opportunity to peek inside three of the structures, including the famous and offbeat Octagon House, after dark.

Swags, boughs, bows, and trees? The buildings you call upon will be decked out in Christmas-ready finery, much in the way they would have been more than a century ago.

And in the Perry Mansion Ballroom? A ghost, er, host wearing 19th-century fashion will tell a few spectral stories.

There are a few important things to know before you go. A ticket is $55, and you'll be outside for much of the evening, which means good shoes and warm clothing.

Good to know: Masks are "encouraged, but not required."

Arriving by carriage, or, erm, car? Please be sure to head for "the parking lot that runs along Homer" (and forgo street parking).