Five homes all dressed for the holidays

The eighth annual Clayton Christmas Homes Tour features five lovely homes all decked out for the holidays.

The Clayton Historical Society event will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. Purchase $30 tickets at the Clayton Museum, 6101 Main St., or online with a credit card by Dec. 8 at claytonhistory.org. Day of tour tickets will be available at the museum for $35.

A limited number of $25 tickets are available for the 5 p.m. after-party/holiday dinner at a sixth home. These tickets will likely sell out, so get them soon.

This year’s homes range from small to large, traditional to designer decorated. One home includes nearly 40 nutcrackers, from teeny-tiny to nearly 5 feet tall. This home also showcases dazzling collections of Santa Clauses, glass trees and “crystal ornaments hanging in a window over, what else, a row of nutcrackers.” They have a skinny tree, but the owner says “that doesn’t mean you can’t bury it in ornaments.”

Two Clayton-designer decorated homes offer loads of ideas you can use for your own homes. Meanwhile, a home-owner/artist displays her own creations and decades of her personally designed Christmas cards.

Another home features a collection of angels to greet you, a white Christmas tree, tapestries from Italy and France, “trees made of jewels and riches,” handmade dishes and chair covers of sentimental origin.

For even more holiday spirit, buy a ticket to join the homeowners and tour committee after the tour for a festive holiday dinner. Mingle with the homeowners and hear more about their holiday traditions while enjoying a delightful holiday meal.

The Christmas Homes Tour is a primary fundraiser for the Clayton Historical Society. Homeowners volunteer their homes and decorate them themselves; all proceeds go to the Clayton Historical Society Museum and programs. You can also purchase a CHS limited edition ornament at the museum.

The Clayton Historical Society was founded in 1974 to “research, collect, record, preserve, display, borrow, share, and interpret local history information and memorabilia, and to promote understanding of Clayton origins and development.”

Volunteers finance, maintain and operate the non-profit museum as the major local history resource for students, writers, genealogical researchers, city and county needs, developers, businesses, new residents and visitors, including many from other states and countries.

It locates, records, inventories, publicizes and marks historic sites, buildings and natural features, and makes recommendations. A walking tour guide to local historic sites is available at the museum.

The museum is open to the public 2-4 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays. In addition, the society hosts student classes and special tours and opens the museum upon request.

Society members look forward to your participation and support of the Christmas Homes Tour.