Celebrate the festive season as Lanyon Homestead and Calthorpes House are transformed with handmade decorations, traditional table settings and treasured objects from the ACT Historic Places collection.

Lanyon Homestead will be adorned for a Victorian-era Australian Christmas, featuring native greenery, traditional dining table settings, handmade decorations and bonbons, accompanied by the evocative aromas of cloves, cinnamon and pine.

At Calthorpes House, visitors can discover festive streamers, handmade cards and placemats, alongside the Christmas tree traditionally decorated by the late Dawn Waterhouse as a child, adorned with velvet Santa Claus figures, glass baubles and candles.

Take home a historic Christmas cake recipe from the Commonsense Cookery Book, 1914 or a Dark Cake Recipe from 1918 and see whether it rivals your family’s festive favourite.