Holly Reese started early planning and decorating for the holiday.
“I’m not doing much different than I usually do – I love to decorate at Christmas – but I did start earlier than usual,” she said.
For the tour, Reese will have decorated eight trees – seven of them in her home and one in the meetinghouse/chapel that also will be featured on the tour.
Highland Park was developed by Mack Reese, with the goal of a creating a community that would blend in with the wooded area surrounding the homes.
When the 80- and 90-year old loblolly pine trees had to be cut to make room for the homes and a park, Mack Reese decided to use them.
“I decided it was unfortunate to throw away those big, beautiful trees,” he said.
He set up a temporary saw mill and had the pine trees cut and aged before building the meetinghouse/chapel in the center of the subdivision.
“We didn’t want a traditional pool and tennis court here, and I’d seen the old meetinghouse church building before and really liked it,” he said.
The building is used during holidays for community services, as well as other small events. Holly Reese will decorate it in keeping with its simple lines, using fresh greenery and candles.
Her home also has a natural theme, with most of the mantels, centerpieces and trees made from fresh greenery, much of it collected in the woods behind her house.
She will display family collections around the house as well.
“We started taking my grandmother to tea at the Ritz in Atlanta. We’ve carried that tradition on, and this will be our 12th year to go. Each year we buy a nutcracker and a snow globe,” she said. “We’ve lost a few snow globes over the years, but we have all the nutcrackers.”
The Reese children will have trees in their rooms that reflects their interests – her daughter’s retro-white artificial tree is filled with pink balls and purse ornaments; her sons’ live trees will have a sports theme and an outdoor theme.
Reese is excited about sharing her home with tour of homes visitors.
“I think it’s great. Hospice is a wonderful thing,” she said. “We feel honored to do this.”
Five houses will be featured on the tour, including the Reese home as well as the homes of Randy and Mariennis Flowers, Chuck and Cheryl Pitts, Jay and Ashley Anderson and Rick and Dale Mallory. The chapel also will be featured on the tour.
n Tickets for the Christmas Tour of Homes are $25 and include entrance to a holiday gift boutique, live entertainment, refreshments and the tour of homes in the Highland Park community. Tickets are available at Hill Street House, the Herring House, Hills and Dales, Plum Southern, Grapevine Hallmark, Connie’s Antiques and West Georgia Hospice.
Sherri Brown can be reached at sbrown@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 240.
Post a Comment
