Natchez &8212; In celebration of the 25 years of hosting Children&8217;s Victorian Christmas at Historic Jefferson College, the staff there is inviting school and other groups from throughout the community to participate &8212; any youth group and any grade level.

Traditionally, the event has included area fifth-graders, said Anne Gray, historian at the site.

Already, groups such as the Boys and Girls Club, 4-H clubs and the Sunshine Shelter have signed up for trees to decorate.

Cheryl Branyan, site manager, said teachers or group sponsors should call the site, 601-442-2901, this week to reserve a tree.

&8220;Wal-Mart is working with us this year to donate some of the trees,&8221; Branyan said. &8220;We&8217;d be pleased to have other trees donated, as well.&8221;

Once decorated, the trees will be on display Dec. 10 to 29; the site will be closed Dec. 23-26.

&8220;In 1981, Historic Jefferson College opened its doors to fifth-grade students of three public schools and invited them to decorate a tree,&8221; Gray said. &8220;After making their decorations in the classroom, the students came to Historic Jefferson College, heard a short history lesson on the Mississippi Territory and Mississippi&8217;s admittance to the Union, decorated a tree and had refreshments.&8221;

About 400 children took part that year, Gray said. When they had completed their decorating, the staff agreed a problem existed. &8220;The tall tree had decorations only on the lower third of the tree,&8221; she said.

In subsequent years, smaller trees stood about the hall where students decorated, a tree for each school.

&8220;For the past 24 years, trees decorated in many themes have filled the buildings at Historic Jefferson College,&8221; Gray said. &8220;Many have been decorated in the Victorian style with handmade ornaments of small gift-wrapped packages, lacy ornaments and popcorn and cranberry chains.&8221;

Others have shown delightful originality, Gray said, including the tree decorated one year by Huntington Academy students using Louisiana ornaments such as miniature hot-sauce bottles and crawfish.

&8220;It&8217;s a guessing game from one year to the next what the Trinity students of Cissy Pressgrove&8217;s theme will be,&8221; she said.

One year, Pressgrove&8217;s class asked to decorate a tree outdoors. They filled it with apples, popcorn balls and other foods that birds and wildlife could consume.

Cookies are a good choice for decorations, Gray said. But because of the dampness of the old buildings on the site, she recommends a special recipe.

&8220;If you want to make decorations that smell great, make these cinnamon ornaments,&8221; she said.

Mix

cup cinnamon and 1/3 cup applesauce until well blended. Sprinkle cutting area with cinnamon and roll out dough to

inch thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter. Poke a hole in the top with a straw. Let dry for several days or bake in preheated oven at 200 degrees until hard, about 1 hours .

Jefferson College is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.