By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

So how many ways are there to celebrate Christmases from days gone by?

Every few years, Historic Fort Hays and the Ellis County Historical Society seem to find a new twist to the pre-Christmas event that has been going for nearly 40 years.

This year, Christmas Past at the fort and Christmas Open House at the historical society downtown -- always scheduled for the first Friday and Saturday in December -- will feature a few different activities from recent years.

For the first time during the Christmas celebration, visitors will be able to tour the east officers' quarters at the fort, which has been undergoing renovation the past couple of years.

In years past, only the west officers' quarters, officially named No. 3, has been open.

This year, the east building, known as No. 2, will feature Father Christmas as well as musicians, while No. 3 will have its traditional music and hot chocolate and cookies.

No. 1 was the chaplain's quarters and the first of seven buildings in officers' row during the days of Fort Hays and has since been torn down.

Activities in the guardhouse will include as a model train display by an area railroad club.

New this year to the guardhouse will be a display on how Santa Claus is perceived in other countries.

The blockhouse will feature traditional popcorn and Christmas movie.

Bob Wilhelm, longtime director of Historic Fort Hays, said he thinks visitors will enjoy the new activities but that they also seem to flock to the traditional ones as well.

"Everybody loves fried apples," he said of the campfire cooking situated between the blockhouse and the guardhouse.

There also still will be hot cider served on the grounds, and those wanting to ride on a horse-drawn cart also can do so on the fort grounds.

"It's not a real long ride," Wilhelm said, "but we didn't want to get rid of that because its a nice Christmas thing to do."

Downtown, visitors to the historical society will have free admission to view the exhibits while listening to live Christmas music in the balcony of the historical society building as well as the attached stone church.

Children will be able to make crafts in the balcony, and there will be a hayrack ride downtown running every half hour. Refreshments will be served.