Lorelei Smith loves Christmas and her historic home in Midland.
"The house deserves Christmas. It's a beautiful house when it's decorated for Christmas," explains Smith.
Smith is opening her home for the rejuvenated Christmas Home Tour being held on Dec. 7 from 4 to 8 p.m., timed so participants can see the exterior and interior lights at the decorated homes. There are five different Midland homes on the tour.
The tour is sponsored by Huronia Museum and all monies collected from the tickets go to the museum for collection and conservation of artifacts. This is the first year the tour has been held since 2019.
Smith has been collecting Christmas items for many years. Her seven-bedroom Victorian home with four fireplaces houses it all.
"I have a third-floor huge closet with about 80 totes," Smith says, noting that decorating starts after Thanksgiving and now includes 23 trees decorated in the home, all in different colours and themes.
"It's a lot of trees."
But there's a lot more than trees. She has Christmas towns, a Nativity scene, doll carriages full of dolls and teddy bears, garlands up the grand staircase. Every room is decorated for Christmas, even the main-floor bathroom features a tree and Santa Claus in a bath.
Smith and her spouse David moved to the home 15 years ago and started opening it to the public right away.
"Because it's a designated home, it's belongs to everyone. It's a beautiful old home and it needs to be showcased and it's part of the history of Midland," she says.
"It's lovely having it open and having the people of Midland through. It lends itself to Christmas and it's a lovely way to start the season," she adds.
The home was built for Thomas Chew and his family in 1875. Chew owned a flour and shingle mill in 1866 and grist mill with his brother George Chew. The home stayed in the Chew family until 1937.
Named Hillside Holme, the house has been lovingly restored and includes original fireplaces, lead and stained glass windows, built-in cabinetry and a grand staircase. The home has views of Georgian Bay from the bedrooms on the upper levels. The home was designed a Heritage Home under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2013.
Since it's a heritage home, Smith feels like the house belongs to the community. It's been featured on many home tours, including the annual North Simcoe Big Brothers Big Sisters Showcase of Home Tour. It's also been featured in Our Homes Magazine (Barrie Winter 2018-2019).
Nahanni Born, executive director of Huronia Museum, said she is "thrilled" to have the museum host its first Christmas Home Tour.
"We would like to give special thanks to Lorelei from the Chew home for taking the lead on this event on our behalf," Born says.
She also wants to thank the other homeowners and Christmas enthusiasts who have decorated their homes and are opening them with "Christmas spirit" to support the museum's initiatives.
Tickets for the Christmas Home Tour cost $10 if purchased before Nov. 30 and $15 until the day of the tour. Proceeds will go toward the museum's artifact collection and conservation. Tickets are available at the Huronia Museum at 549 Little Lake Park, or call 705-526-2844 to purchase e-transfer.
For more information visit the museum's website.
