The Christmas trees usually don’t get decorated before the Thanksgiving turkey is thawed, but this year the Halloween candy hadn’t even been eaten before the boxes of decorations were out of the closet.

The Piney Woods home of Bill and Karyn Hunnicutt and their three boys will be one of four on the annual Christmas Tour of Homes sponsored by West Georgia Hospice. It’s been a big undertaking for the family, but the decorating is a small feat compared to making the house livable after they bought it.

The house was built in 1950, the first one on the Piney Woods lake, built by football coach “Skeet” Johnson and his wife, Eleanor.

“They built a cabin on the property first, then they built the house,” said Bill Hunnicutt, president of ProLending Mortgage.

In 2004, the Hunnicutts became the second owners of the home, buying it from Eleanor Johnson. While still a stately home, there was a lot of work that needed to be done to make the house appropriate for a family of five. It took 16 months to fully renovate the 7,000-square-foot house, as well as the cabin by the lake.

While the Christmas holiday will be obvious in every room, Karyn Hunnicutt, a pediatrician at the Children’s Clinic, wanted the house itself to be the primary feature.

“We’re using a lot of fresh greenery, but after all the renovations we really wanted to showcase the house,” she said.

The Christmas decorations started going up the first weekend of November, including the large family tree covered with handmade sequined ornaments. The boys - Will, 10, Harrison, 8, and Davis, 6 - chose their theme for a tree in the upstairs play room.

“We don’t usually decorate a tree for the boys, so when we decided to do that, we wanted something that represented all of them,” Karyn Hunnicutt said.

They tossed around several ideas before settling on a Wii tree, which was Bill Hunnicutt’s idea. The lighted tree features Wii games wrapped in bright ribbon as ornaments.

“The boys were a little worried that the ribbon would scratch their games. I think they’re all OK though,” she said.

Family friends have been recruited to serve as hostesses during the tour, but the Hunnicutts aren’t planning to be on hand.

“We have the choice to be at home or not. I wanted to see the rest of the tour, so I decided to do that,” Karyn Hunnicutt said.

There will be one family member greeting guests during the tour, however. Bill’s father, Pat Hunnicutt, will serve as tour guide for the decorated cabin, which also will be featured at the Hunnicutt home.

The annual Christmas Tour of Homes benefits patient care services at West Georgia Hospice. In addition to the Hunnicutt home, this year’s tour includes the homes of Bobby and Molly Carmichael, Scott and Jennie Gordy, and Jay and Ida Russell.

Sherri Brown can be reached at sbrown@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 240.

West Georgia Hospice will host its annual Christmas tour of homes Sunday beginning at Hills and Dales visitor center. A boutique of holiday items will be open throughout the tour at the center. Tickets at $25 are available at Hospice LaGrange, Hill Street House, Hills and Dales, Connie’s Antiques, Plum Southern, Herring House and Stephens Exclusives. All proceeds benefit patient care services. For information, call (706) 845-3905.