The holidays are here and just “100 Years” and a few miles south of Nashville, Tennessee you’ll find Historic Franklin dressed and ready to kick off the season’s festivities with Dickens of a Christmas on December 13-14, 2008. This annual festival transforms Franklin’s historic Main Street into an enchanting old-fashioned Victorian Christmas straight from the pages of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and other Dickens’ tales. Hours are 10 am to 5pm Saturday, Dec. 13th, and noon to 5pm Sunday, Dec. 14th and the festival is free to the public.

“Franklin’s Main Street is the perfect setting for a Victorian Christmas celebration. Most of the beautifully restored buildings date between 1890 and the early 1900’s,” said Nancy Williams, festival organizer and director for the Downtown Franklin Association. “There will be some 200 costumed characters that bring this festival to life along with musicians and vendors selling crafts and foods.”
Visitors are magically transformed by the sight of the whole town in Victorian attire with the clatter of horses’ hooves in the background and the scent of roasted chestnuts in the air. The streets will be filled with costumed characters to chat with or hear a tale or two from. Listen for Scrooge to bellow, “Bah! Humbug” while the Cratchit family parades the streets with Tiny Tim. Ghosts of Christmas Past and Future can be seen roaming the street while Fagin’s urchins pester the English “Bobbies”. No Christmas celebration would be complete without Father Christmas to delight the children! Dancers and street musicians entertain the crowds as they stroll Main Street. Victorian treats abound from authentic fish n’ chips to roasted turkey legs, plum puddings and sugarplums.

A holiday arts and crafts bazaar fills the town square for lots of great shopping. Horse drawn carriages allow for a leisurely ride through downtown Franklin. And don’t miss the Town sing starting at 5pm on the square.

From: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Step-Back-Time-Enchanting-Victorian/story.aspx?guid=%7B70950559-29BD-4BA8-8B68-A30CA17D2A2C%7D