FRANKLIN LIVING— The halls will be decked with boughs of holly in houses across the Russellville area when they throw open their doors for the annual Tour of Homes.

In its third or fourth year, the Tour of Homes helps inspire a holly jolly Christmas by inviting the community to admire some of the best-dressed houses in the area. The tour is hosted by the Book Lovers Study Club.

“We started doing it as a fundraiser – it’s a fundraiser for our club and just to enjoy the Christmas season and promote our community,” explained the club’s fundraising committee chairperson Martha Sibley. “It gets you in the spirit of things and makes you want to go home and do festive things yourself. It gets everybody really perked up to enjoy the season.”

This year’s Tour of Homes will be held Dec. 9 from 1-5 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from any Book Lovers Study Club member. Sibley said although the club has never heavily promoted the event, the turnout has always been positive.

“We’ve never published it a whole lot,” Sibley said. “It’s just something we enjoy doing, and we know people enjoy it. We sell 200-250 tickets every year. It’s a big thing. People just go from house to house, and Book Lovers are there at the houses to assist with people coming in.”

Attendees will receive a map directing them to houses on the tour, usually four or five, and at each stop they will enjoy viewing the Christmas decorations. “It’s really a commitment on the part of the family to do this,” said Sibley. Houses are not necessarily chosen for any particular feature – except for an abundance of holiday spirit. “It’s quite involved. That’s what Book Lovers is all about – community service.”

Funds raised from the Tour help support the Book Lovers’ many charitable efforts, including donations for the arts, like “The Roxy’s Legend of Toyland;” conservation, including helping the Cultura Garden Club with beautification projects; education, such as scholarships and donations to the public library; international outreach, like UNICEF; home life resources, including the foster care system, Habitat for Humanity, Big Oak Ranch and the Ronald McDonald House; local projects, like the veterans reception preceding Every Light a Prayer for Peace; and more.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS WEBB