NATCHEZ &045; The ladies at Auburn were looking at their watches at about 6 p.m. Saturday.

Few visitors had graced the entrance at the antebellum house, one of three stops on the Victorian Christmas Candlelight Tour of Homes.

But in short order, the ladies &045; dressed, of course, in hoop skirts &045; were greeting wave after wave of trolley-borne tourists.

They fed them cookies and cider in the dining room, along with tidbits of history about the house.

Tracey Carter of Jackson took her first trip to Natchez this weekend, along with four other couples in her neighborhood.

&uot;It’s just beautiful,&uot; Carter said, her eyes wide as she took in the decorations and furnishings at Auburn. &uot;It’s so much more beautiful than I imagined. The Christmas decorations are all so natural.&uot;

Although this is Carter’s first visit, it won’t be her last, she said.

&uot;This is a good little taste,&uot; she said. &uot;And it gets everyone in the Christmas spirit.&uot;

For Linda Agre and her husband, Dennis, the first trip to Natchez involved a little bit more driving.

The Agres are on an RV tour of the country. Before they head back to their home in Minnesota for Christmas, they stopped in Natchez for a few days.

&uot;It’s absolutely fantastic,&uot; Agre said after taking a quick snapshot of her husband with two hoop-skirted guides at the foot of the grand spiral staircase at Auburn. &uot;I’ve wanted to do this for years. We came in this afternoon, and we’ve been touring since then.&uot;

Also on tour Saturday were Rosalie and Melrose.