Natchez &8212; Your thoughts about Christmas may never be the same.

At least that is what the organizers of this year&8217;s Christmas at Melrose hope for their guests as they walk through Christmas past, present and future.

Inspired by the book, &8220;Battle For Christmas,&8221; written by Stephen Nissenbaum, Natchez National Historical Park&8217;s Angie Lurz looked to give this year&8217;s guests a flavor of the ever-changing Christmas customs that were observed in the 19th century.

The book, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, looks at how Christmas has evolved from a seldom-celebrated holiday to the spectacle it is today.

&8220;Christmas has never been one single, defined holiday,&8221; Lurz said. &8220;In fact, it is still evolving today.&8221;

So for this year&8217;s theme, Lurz and a group of re-enactors will highlight some of the customs that evolved over the 1800s.

Stepping out of horse-drawn carriages, guests will be met at the front door of Melrose with Christmas past &8212; two gentleman recalling the rowdy tradition of &8220;waisalling.&8221;

&8220;It was rowdy drunken behavior,&8221; Lurz said. &8220;There was no tree or presents at the time.&8221;

In fact, the Puritans of Massachusetts, outlawed the holiday due to public drunkenness and rioting, according to Nissenbaum&8217;s book.

As guests enter the house, they will be greeted by Christmas present from two perspectives &8212; one from the perspective of the McMurran family, the other from the perspective of the McMurrans&8217; slaves.

The familiar traditions of the Christmas tree, family and gift giving evolved around the time the McMurrans occupied the antebellum mansion.

For the slaves, the traditions were altogether different. Still exchanging gifts, the slaves spent most of the holidays preparing for the family.

&8220;(The McMurrans) wouldn&8217;t have had a Christmas if it wasn&8217;t for the slaves preparing it,&8221; Lurz said.

After getting a taste of the present, guests will be whisked into thoughts of the future as re-enactors dance a Christmas waltz.

The free program will be offered from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Melrose estate.

Performances begin every 20 minutes.

Tickets are required and are available on a first come-first served basis. They may be picked up at the Melrose bookstore on the date of the performance.

Any donations received will be used for the 2006 Junior Ranger History Camp.