Published: December 01, 2008 10:34 pm      

LEWISTON: Holiday decorating ideas abound at Lewiston tour of homes

Mary Alice Eckert puts votive candles on her dining room window sill every Christmas. But she never would have thought to add a giant topiary centerpiece to the table and the crystal beaded curtains that grace her dining room this year.

That’s the best part about participating in the holiday Tour of Homes during Lewiston’s Christmas in the Village Dec. 5-7.

Well, maybe not the best part. This is the Eckert’s second time on the tour and she and her husband decided to try it again because they enjoyed the first experience immensely.

“It was so much fun and rewarding,” she said. She described how she would stand off to the side as hundreds of visitors passed through her house and she would overhear the nicest comments. “I would hear people say ‘look at that chair,’ or ‘Oh, wow, this is so gorgeous,’” she said.

This year her holiday decorating efforts were fortified by a professional team from Room in Buffalo who took all the decorations she usually puts out and added their own sparkle. The glitter shimmers from the dining room where, along with her many candles on the window sill, there is now glorious holiday excess, from the gleaming shafts of silver hanging from the chandelier to the bright red holiday chargers.

Other rooms also benefit from the decorators’ ideas, including a stream of frosted Charlie Brown trees leading up the stairway in the foyer to the foam reindeer dipped in glitter that stand guard at the fir tree in the living room.

“Part of the appeal is to see things you wouldn’t do yourself,” said Pam Hauth of the Lewiston Historical Society which sponsors the annual tour of historic homes. This year’s “Captain’s Row” theme features six homes in the village’s historic district along with strolling carolers and a dessert competition which will feature a chef from Niagara County Community College in each kitchen.

Down the street from the Eckert’s 1838 brick revival home, Channel 7 television anchor Keith Radford and his wife, Linda, are opening their 1820s home with the decorating help of Chi Chi Soluri, wife of the village’s mayor, Richard Soluri.

“We’re blending all kinds of things together,” said Linda, who added that her decorating secret is to “find something you love, like Santas or angels, and work from there.”

Some of the decorations in the Radford home include a delicate chocolate set on the bed in her daughter’s bedroom and Chi Chi’s topiary Christmas tree in the office sitting room.

Julie Nicklas on South 5th Street is planning on using much of what she already owns to decorate her colonial home for the tour. “Christmas is my favorite time of year and I’ve been collecting things for over 30 years,” Nicklas said. “I still have my Christmas plates from Gold Circle,” she added, referring with a smile to a long-closed area department store.

Those who want to see the Gold Circle plates and so much more can purchase tickets at the Lewiston Museum or visiting www.historiclewiston.org. They can also call 754-4214 or call toll free at 1-866-754-4214. The tickets are $20 to $25 for the tours, which run Dec. 5-7. Tickets are also available at the Barton Hill Hotel, 100 Center St., the Orange Cat, 703 Center St., and the Village Bake Shoppe, 417 Center St.