HOLIDAY HOME TOUR SATURDAY

Holiday homes will be on display Saturday as part of the 11th annual Lutheran Family and Children's Services Home Tour.

On the tour are five homes, Old Hanover Lutheran church, and the agency's office. Homes will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $14 at the door. The price of the ticket includes admission to each of the homes and a luncheon at Hanover Lutheran Church.

The luncheon, added last year, is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. During the luncheon, area church choirs will perform at 15-minute intervals, and a silent auction will be held. Numerous items have been donated by local businesses and individuals.

The historic Old Hanover Lutheran Church will be open as part of the tour.

In addition, offices of the Lutheran Family and Children's Services will be open, giving visitors a chance to learn more about the agency and what it does.

Last year the agency sold about 600 tickets for the tour.

"It's a really nice day," said Stacy Taylor, office manager of Lutheran Family and Children's Services. "The homes are kind of spread out, so it's never really crowded. It's really a lot of fun to see each of the houses all decked out for Christmas."

-- John and Charlotte Edwards' home on Highway W is built on the family farm and is filled with antiques from both sides of the family. The home also features a lot of woodwork, including cypress from Southern Illinois. They also have a sun room decorated in wicker. In the lower level, a refinished antique pool table often generates a lot of attention. A commercial-sized antique ice box from a McClure, Ill., store is used in the bar area to store glassware.

Charlotte Edwards is a 25-year veteran teacher. Over the years she has collected lots of Christmas ornaments, many gifts from students. The main Christmas tree is laden with the gifts.

In the dining room, a magnolia tree is decorated with the brass ornaments children have given. Theme Christmas trees decorate her sons' rooms -- one decorated for Jackson Indians and the other for Southeast Missouri State University Indians. The breakfast room will be set for a Christmas brunch and the dining room for a formal holiday meal.

-- Joe and Jeana Koch's home on Cape County Road 638 sits atop a high hill offering a view across the Mississippi River of the hills and valleys of Southern Illinois. However, the view is somewhat obstructed by the Christmas tree in the big bow window. Many of the holiday decorations were made by Jeana Koch's late mother. "They are very precious and meaningful to me," she said. "When I put these out it brings a little of her back to me." New this year is a Santa chair. Koch has decorated a large wicker chair on the front porch with a paper mache Santa face and a 6-foot raffia beard. "He's there on the porch to great everyone," she said.

-- Rick and Robin Tolbert's home on County Road 302 in Jackson is reminiscent of a western ranch, complete with a big red barn and horses in the pasture. "It's a very classic western style, not trendy and not southwestern," Robin Tolbert explained. The home is decorated with wood work, western scenes, cowboys and wagon trains, stone and stained glass.

"We tried to keep the Christmas decorations very western too," she said. "I tried to imagine what they would actually have to decorate with and kept it kind of natural. There is greenery, dried vines, lots of pine cones, dried apples and oranges." The Christmas trees are decorated with western-style ornaments. "It's a very comfortable and relaxing home," she said. "You should be able to prop your feet up."

-- Joe and Billie Ward's cottage at 26 Chateau Girardeau features Christmas decorations collected over the past 50 years. Among highlights are the Simpach character dolls, including 19th century English carolers, the Bob Cratchett family, Teen Angels and Cloud Babies. Also among decorations is a Boehm nativity scene made from fine porcelain. "Mostly it's stuff I've accumulated over the years," Billie Ward said. "I have a lot of candles also. I decorate them with cut-outs from gold doilies and jewels."

-- Inell and Leonard Vogel, 101 Saxony Village, have also brought their traditional holiday decorations to their new retirement home. "Some are 30 years old or more," said Inell Vogel. "They are tried and true, a lot of red and green, very traditional." The home is furnished in a very traditional style. However, the Vogels don't put up a Christmas tree, choosing instead other types of holiday decorations.

Tickets are available at Country Spanish Shop in Jackson and in Cape Girardeau at Melody's Fashions, Schnucks, Touch of Grace, Wanda's Coiffures, and Lutheran Family and Children's Services office, or call (573) 334-5866.