The 2022 Newburyport Holiday House Tour, a fundraiser supporting the Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association is this Saturday, December 10th from 10am to 4pm. Purchase tickets on-line or in-person at the Anna Jaques Hospital Gift Shop or Chococoa Baking Co. & Café at The Tannery Marketplace. Pick up your tour book at the Newburyport Senior Center at 331 High Street, where a Holiday Gift Market and Winter Wreath auction will be in full swing with live music and refreshments. The self-guided tour allows you to enjoy the full range of homes and outdoor décor in whatever order you choose.
The Holiday House Tour is celebrating a full return after the limitations of the last several years. The tour guide offers history and context to each of the lavishly decorated homes and private residences from High Street to High Road and beyond. Groupings in the North and South End highlight Newburyport’s signature Federalist and Greek Revival houses, plus architectural reproductions and contemporary updates to re-invigorate ideas of gracious living. One of the homes was recently featured on the popular TV series, This Old House. Three residents on the tour have expanded their décor to fanciful exterior scenes, while others are exclusively outdoor dioramas, making this year’s program a hybrid of seasonal delights.
A beloved highlight of the Advent season, the Holiday House Tour is an occasion for friends and family to visit a showcase of neighborhoods and gather inspiration for winter entertaining of their own. The creativity of local florists and decorators displays the myriad of ways a home can be dressed up and decked out. From house to house, the panorama of bejeweled trees and festive greenery offers a glimpse of personalized traditions. Holiday tables are brimming with cheer before any meal is served, and there’s a sense that the stage is set for joyful get-togethers all over town.
Back at Newburyport’s spacious Senior Center, The Holiday Market offers gift ideas ranging from gingerbread to jewelry. Favorite retailers and artisans represent dozens of “finds” in one place while the People’s United Methodist Church provides a helping of live jazz, and complementary chowder will be served between noon and 1:30.
Each year, the generosity of Newburyport’s homeowners and countless volunteers make the Holiday House Tour possible, all to benefit the Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association. The welcome of neighbors throughout the community also helps support the well-being of its residents. For those slow to feel the stir of the holiday spirit, buy a ticket — The bustle and beauty of this event may be just the lift you’re looking for!
