HOMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Longtime Lake Bluff resident Julie Eckert has always loved Christmas.

“I love the music,” Eckert says. “I love trees with lights. I love a festive table. I love a fire. I love the movies. I love the Christmas cards.”

And while the list filled with her adoration for her favorite holiday could go on, Eckert admits that what she loves the most is decorating her Lake Bluff home for family and friends. And this year, that special pool of family and friends will get even bigger as Julie and her husband Michael Eckert open their home for the first time during the annual Lake Bluff History Museum Holiday Home Tour.

“My husband made the decision that this was the year,” explains Eckert, whose extensive collection of caroler figurines, Gladys Boalt ornaments and Mark Roberts collectibles will be on display throughout her Megan Winters-designed home. “Michael jokes that he loses 2,000 square feet of the house whenever Christmas comes around.”

Indeed, whenever Christmas does come around, Lake Bluff itself transforms into the most charming of villages, courtesy of beautifully decorated homes that all seem to have their own story to tell.

“You always do wonder what’s inside and what memories these homes hold,” explains Penny Marsh, chair of this year’s Lake Bluff History Museum Holiday Home Tour, scheduled for Sunday, December 3, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Some of the homes are really historic, and you think about what Christmases have taken place through the years in those homes.”

Opening the doors to the history and stories and memories of a select number of Lake Bluff homes each year has long been one of the magical pieces throughout the 13-year history of this much-loved event, whose proceeds benefit the Lake Bluff History Museum. The tour also includes two Holiday Boutiques in historic homes, where guests will find art, jewelry, clothing, and décor sourced and created by local artisans.

“(The Home Tour) is our biggest fundraiser,” remarks Marsh of the event that will embark straight from the Lake Bluff History Museum located at 127 E. Scranton Avenue. “We support many of the museum’s expenses with those funds, while bringing many people to Lake Bluff through the Holiday Home Tour and other museum- sponsored activities in the village, such as the Auto Show and Ghost Walk.”

And while Marsh herself doesn’t seem comfortable dwelling too much about the legacy she and longtime friend Susan Hawthorne will someday leave behind as the co-creators of this event, she does admit that she couldn’t picture her life without it.

“I love seeing people getting inspired to be creative with their holiday décor in their own homes because of this event,” explains Marsh, who manages estate sales on the North Shore through her company, Beyond the Bluff Conducted Sales. “It’s a joy for me to be involved each year.”

What might bring even more joy come December 3 is perhaps a little snow to make the holiday picture complete.

“It’s magical when it snows in the village,” concludes Eckert. “A white Christmas is always the dream. It just really is kind of the frosting on the cake.”

Tickets are $50 and will be available closer to the event. For more information, visit lakebluffhistory.org.