Welcome to Day 17 of Partners in a Pair Tree –
Kelly and Mo Celebrate December!
Christmas Heritage Homes For Holidays Tour
My new Christmas tradition of participating in the Christmas Heritage Homes for Holidays Tour began with a simple mid November Starbucks visit.
As I waited in line for my coffee a large festive sign tacked to the bulletin board snagged my attention. It was an announcement for an upcoming fundraiser for the Queens Park Healthcare Foundation.
“Tour some of your favourite heritage homes beautifully decorated for Christmas. From an Arts and Crafts beauty to a Victorian gem, experience heritage by night aglow in seasonal splendour while giving back to your community. Music and Christmas shopping all await you at this Heritage Event of the Holidays!”
The Queens Park Healthcare Foundation offers innovative healthcare services to Seniors, from short-term Adult Day Care to long-term live-in care. I couldn’t imagine a more worthy cause.
The beautifully restored homes in the Queen’s Park area are magnificent, especially at Christmas. The $20.00 fee included visits to five homes. The oldest was built in 1887, the youngest in 1913. My two children and I have often walked or driven through these streets admiring the festive decorations and Christmas light displays. The concept of actually going inside some houses for a peek or two was heavenly.
Grabbing my coffee, I fired off a quick text to my “field trip” pal Jane. Her positive response was immediate and I registered forthwith. Good thing too; the 300 tickets sold out within days.
As luck would have it, on the Sunday before the tour Jane awoke with a possible-and-highly-likely-but-as-of-this-date-undiagnosed-meniscus-tear in her left knee. In her words it “felt as if someone was constantly stabbing her knee with a sharp knife.” This admission from someone who never complains was telling. I knew it was serious. However she was determined to join me. Topping up her pain meds, acquiring a pair of crutches and a knee brace, she reported for action smartly on time. I was very good and held back all festive references to the likes of Tiny Tim.
The Queen’s Park Hospital Foundation cleverly staggered the starts so that not all 300 of us descended on the homeowners of one house at the same time. The first house on our Christmas Heritage Homes for Holidays Tour was built in 1891.
Check out the stairs. Did Jane give this option a miss? Of course not. She took them one at a time and arrived at the top just fine.
Each of the five houses was dressed in its festive finery.
By the time we’d toured through the main floor of the first one we were feeling the Christmas spirit. Each Christmas Heritage Homes for Holidays Tour house had at least one Christmas tree. Several of them were imitation. However I overheard one home owner admitting he’d paid $85.00 for his magnificent fresh-cut Noble Fir tree. I couldn’t believe he’d bought it just that morning. It was resplendent in the foyer as we walked in the door.
Another home was festooned with cedar swag. The owner was a delight and more than happy to share that she’d bought over a hundred feet of bound cedar swag from her local gardening shop. She’d draped it over windows, mantles, banister railings, doorways and pictures. The scent was perfection; evoking instant Christmas the second you entered.
All five homes greeted the guests with resounding notes of festive music.
While this particular house offered a pianist, the others entertained with harpists, cellists and even one vintage record player cranking out festive honky-tonk.
As we trooped through the homes, it was clear that each home owner took enormous care to preserve the true history of their home while adapting it to suit the needs of their individual families. Modern conveniences such as televisions and stereos were cleverly hidden from sight within “antique” cabinets, and fridges, stoves and dishwashers were blended seamlessly into the renovated kitchens. We even spotted a cozy dog bed tucked under a converted liquor cabinet complete with wet-bar.
The traffic flow was fairly steady through the homes. Except when it came to the dining rooms. Here it ground to a halt. No wonder. Each dining room table was dressed for Christmas Dinner.
Both Jane and I were ready to sit right down and help ourselves to turkey and stuffing.
The home owners of the Christmas Heritage Homes for Holidays Tour did not disappoint. They thought of everything. The fireplaces were blazing, the Christmas lights were twinkling and the wine was mulling. No attention to detail was overlooked.
Even the outside planters were showing their true festive colours.
After touring through all five houses on the Christmas Heritage Homes for Holidays Tour Jane and I agreed it was well worth the money. We’ll be first in line for tickets next year – hopefully with neither of us on crutches. Yes, I’ve found a new Christmas tradition.
I am thrilled to add my Day 17 ornament to the Partners in a Pair Tree. It is a picture of one of the Christmas Heritage Homes for Holidays Tour signs that were proudly displayed outside each heritage home.
Now that’s quite enough of my Christmas Heritage Homes for Holidays Tour. I’m curious about you. Does your neighbourhood offer up such a tour? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
20 Responses
Kelly, you have captured this wonderful event masterfully, complete with perfect pictures to showcase the lovely homes ! This is definitely on my new Christmas tradition list, and you are the perfect companion for it ! I must add my sincere thanks for catering to your gimpy field trip pal so kindly, dropping me off at the front doors, then hunting for a place to park. Can’t wait for next year !
Me too! It was a pleasure Jane. Here’s to a crutch free Heritage Homes tour next year!
My mom and I did one of those historic home holiday tours when I was in high school, and I will never forget it. To this day, it remains one of my cherished memories. Oh great, now I’m tearing up. Your friend is a trooper, wow!
She is a trooper Stephanie. One in a million. Hopefully you’ll be able to do another heritage tour. They are fun.
What a lovely, festive event! I’ve been on home tours before and just love to see how talented and creative people are when decorating their homes. I’ve never been to a tour, however, on which the houses were decorated for the holidays. How fun! I’m impressed by the generosity of the folks who opened up their homes for the Heritage Homes tour, especially at this time of the year! Beautiful pictures of what looks like a beautiful day!
I know! The owners were all so friendly too. I would have expected them to be exhausted and worn out but they were dressed in their finery and standing happily at the door to greet us. Most made us feel really special and very welcome. One woman chatted away pointing out all the festive things she added for the tour. So much fun.
Oh, I love this! This seems like the absolute perfect thing to do during the holiday season! I need more girlfriends who live in the same state as me and would be willing to do something like this… maybe one of my nieces. I would have loved this when I was little!
Yes! Take along a niece or two. So much fun – the owners were so welcoming and friendly.
I don’t know of an event like that in my town, but we do have a decorator show house in the spring – an old home renovated, each room done by a different decorator. It’s amazing!
Yes – we used to do that here too. It was so fun. When I worked with my mom in her antiques store designers would come in for pieces for their room. Not sure if it still happens though. You’re lucky it’s still going on. Perfect thing to do in the spring.
That looks like so much fun and I am blown away at that table setting! It is gorgeous! :)-Ashley
That’s what Jane and I thought. We very nearly just sat and parked ourself at the table for the rest of the season.
I feel like I’m on the tour with you and Jane. (BTW, what a pal!) It’s the music especially that would have made it. So she’s playing White Christmas?
I do remember tours as a kid. My mom loved to make flower arrangements so we kids (5 sisters) took lessons. At Christmas she was busy arranging for friends who shared their homes.
Five sisters! Why didn’t I know this? Amazing. Your mom was blessed. So cool that she loved to arrange flowers and that you got to watch. I still am working on my flower arranging. Yes – Jane is one in a million!
Wow. I would love to do something like this in my town. Charity and getting to benevolently snoop on beautiful homes- a perfect pairing!
It is the perfect pairing! Hopefully it will pop up in your neck of the woods soon!
Wow! Beautiful! I’ve never been on one of these tours, but they had them in the town we used to live in (next to the town we live in now). McKinney has an amazing historical district with gorgeous homes. Their tours (I’ve heard) are absolutely magical.
Btw, way to take one for the team, Jane!
Yes – Jane deserves the glory as much as the houses. As I keep writing – she’s one in a million!
Kelly, these are beautiful shots. I can almost smell the cedar and hear the music. I don’t recall any home tour in a neighborhood I’ve lived in – but I do enjoy visiting friend’s homes that are decked out, and walking or slowly driving streets that light up their yards and house exteriors. What a festive “ornament” you’ve shared!
Thanks Barbara. It was so much fun. It really got us into the festive spirit!