This annual event is a fundraiser for the Doris E. Sullivan Chapter IODE. This year, it is being held on Sunday, Nov. 30 and will take participants through four beautifully decorated homes in the area. One of those homes belongs to Tanya and Ken Anderson. Located in Applewood Acres in New Maryland, it is being decorated by Green Village.
It's a good family house," says Tanya Anderson of their home of three years. "It works very well for us and it's a great neighbourhood."She and her husband have two boys, seven-year-old Eric and nine-year-old Ian, so having a functional space is key.
Her favourite room, she says, is the family room, with its fireplace, TV, comfy furniture and proximity to the kitchen.If I'm downstairs the boys will be down here, but we also have a room above the garage," she says, which is where her husband and sons can often be found.
When Anderson decorates for Christmas, the family room gets the brunt of it, as the tree goes there. She's looking forward to seeing what Green Village does. "I'm going to let them do whatever they want." She often goes on the home tour and has come away with some good decorating ideas in the past.
"It's a good time of year, so it just starts the season off," she says. "It starts you thinking about it and gets you in the spirit." Anderson also likes the fact that the money raised through the tour goes back into the community.
Also in New Maryland, Mickie Bowman of Springwater Place is opening her home to tour participants. She's done the festive decorating herself.I call my style eclectic," she says. "I take things that have been given to me over the years, things that my husband and I have collected."
Her goal, she says, is to make every single room look like Christmas.If it's your very favourite time of year, you have to do special things for it." Though it is definitely her favourite time of year, she admits that this year she's gotten an early start on the decorating due to the Evergreen Tour.
There is plenty to see in her beautiful home, but one favourite piece is the Christmas tree in the family room.It's a tradition in the family to have a teddy bear Christmas tree, so as children we started collecting a few teddy bears," she says.
Those bears, along with others she has picked up over the years, now cover her own teddy bear tree. Bowman decided to be part of this year's home tour because she views Christmas as a time for sharing.I like to be able to share my house with people who want to come in and see the decorations," she says.
The Boer family is looking forward to welcoming people to their home in West Hills.We were actually supposed to be on the tour last year, but then our home sold, so we couldn't do it," says Victoria Boer. She's happy she's able to take part in this year's event.
I love my home. My home is only three months old and Christmas is a big part of our lives. We love Christmas. I have three teenage daughters and it's just fun." Victoria Boer is the owner of Home Stagers by Victoria and Designer Homes, so she has taken care of the decorating for the event.
She notes that the house is modern with a bit of an old-fashioned flare, so she wanted to reflect that in her decorating. Luckily, she found most of what she was looking for in one spot.
It's an IKEA Christmas," she says, with matching ornaments, material, gift bags and other decorations. Everything has the same pattern and motif. I thought that was fabulous." Her colours are mainly red and white, with some black and silver thrown in, making a perfect match for her home.
I want (people) to feel that Christmas can still be a little bit modern and yet classic at the same time," she says.Boer is someone who likes to keep it simple.I like it to look really good, but I don't like a lot of clutter."
The fourth home being featured, located on Riverview Court, is owned by Julian Dickson.This is the second time one of his houses has been part of the tour. What he loves about his home, he says, are his neighbours.
I have fantastic neighbours on both sides.He also enjoys the wonderful things that have found their way into his home over the years, which tour participants will get to see when they visit. Dickson hopes they take away "a sense of the antique furniture, the substantial mementos from the Orient, the extensive collection of New Brunswick paintings."
Anne Smith of Anne Smith Creations will be taking care of decorating this home and will be incorporating many items belonging to Dickson.She's going to use as many of my own decorations as possible," he says. There will be a tree in the living room decorated in ivory and gold.
The mantelpiece in the den will be decorated in rust and orangy colours and the soup tureen will be a part of it," he says.The item he is referring to is his Alexander Gibson soup tureen dated from 1874. It belonged to Dickson's great-great-grandfather, Alexander Gibson, and came from the homestead in Marysville.
The Evergreen Tour is taking place on Sunday, Nov. 30. The starting times for the home tours are 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.Following the tour, participants are invited to a reception at Ste. Anne's Court, 81 Duncan Lane. It gets underway at 6:30 p.m.
At Ste. Anne's Court, there will be a model suite open for available tours. Tickets for the Evergreen Tour are $20 and can be purchased at Reid's Newsstand and Café on King Street. All money raised through the home tour goes to the Doris E. Sullivan Chapter IODE to support community projects.