One of the best things about decorating one’s home for Christmas is that it can be just as much fun for spectators as it is for participants.

That’s the message being conveyed by groups hosting holiday home tours this weekend: Go and enjoy the festive decorations in some of the finer homes in your city or neighborhood. Glean some last-minute tips for decking your halls, be they just as stately, or be they ever so humble. Better yet, take advantage of an opportunity to nose around an intriguing dwelling whose interiors you’ve harbored a longtime secret desire to explore.

Today and Sunday (barring cancellations because of winter weather; check with the sponsoring group), three festive tours - one in central Arkansas, two in the northwest part of the state - offer visitors the chance to see why home is where the heart of the holiday is.

CHRISTMAS IN THE QUARTER

An opportunity to step back a couple of centuries without leaving present-day Little Rock will be had during the 10th annual Christmas in the Quarter holiday tour of homes, which raises funds for Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church. Four of Little Rock’s notable 19th-century homes - the Kavanaugh House at 1854 S. Arch St., the Bowman House at 1415 Broadway, The Empress of Little Rock bed and breakfast at 2120 S. Louisiana St. and the Foster-Robinson House at 2122 Broadway - will be open from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tour-goers will be able to savor “the tastes, sights, sounds and scents of the holidays” while strolling from home to home or being shuttled via free trolley.

In addition to the homes, guests will also be offered tours of the church, which is rich in design features and history, says event spokesman Kelli Reep. Designed by Charles L. Thompson (who designed a number of the neighborhood’s homes) and Thomas Harding Jr., the church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built between 1921 and 1926, it features a Gothic Revival style with Queen Anne characteristics and is considered one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in the Southwest. Original features include four plaster angels, plus more than 50 individual stained glass windows and a large Gothic triptych window, all of intricately assembled Tiffany-style stained glass.

The tour has grown to include food and beverages, music, works by Arkansas artists and a “mall” where people can purchase gifts made by state artisans, authors and chefs, Reep says. Benevolent tourists may also contribute to the church’s four food ministries - a food pantry and pet food ministry, Stone Soup and Community Breakfast, the latter two of which provide hot meals each Sunday to anyone in central Arkansas - all of which are funded solely by donations.

Tickets are $20 per person today at qqumc.org, by calling (501) 375-1600, or at the church, 1601 S. Louisiana St. On Sunday, tickets go up to $25 and will be available only at the church. Note to anyone who assumes church-related events are too staid for their blood: “The Central Arkansas Roller Derby girls are volunteering as ticket takers,” Reep says. In case of inclement weather, check the church’s Facebook page at facebook.com/qqumc or call Reep at (501) 766-1260to learn whether the tour is canceled.

WINTER DREAMS HOME TOUR

Houses in Benton and Washington counties will be on display during the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas’ 15th annual Winter Dreams Home Tour, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Winter Dreams tickets include directions from Interstate 540 to each home. Food, drink, cameras, pets or baby strollers are not permitted on the tour.

Tickets are $20 and may be purchased with cash or check at Signed, Sealed & Delivered in Rogers or at juniorleaguenwa.org. Online ticket buyers are asked to print a copy of their receipt to use at the door of any home on the tour, where it will be exchanged for a ticket.

All proceeds from Winter Dreams benefit the mission and projects of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas.

EUREKA SPRINGS CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES

A peek into a Victorian-era Christmas awaits via the 31st annual Eureka Springs Christmas Tour of Homes, hosted by the Eureka Springs Preservation Society, from 3 to 8 p.m. today. Guests will tour nine locations - homes and other historic sites - on this self-guided tour of the pre-1917 Vestal Cottage at 12 Summit St.; Rock Cottage Gardens, six structures built circa 1935 at 10 Eugenia St.; the 1886 Maj. W.J. True House, 61 Mountain St.; and the 1902 Manor House, 12 Lookout Circle. Docents wearing Victorian attire will tell the story of each home. Visitors will be treated to choir and band music, carolers and refreshments.

Each guest will receive an official tour guidebook at ticket pickup. The address of each site is in the guidebook and marked on a map. Volunteers will greet visitors at each site, which will be marked with signs and luminarias. Visitors are urged to wear comfortable, rubber-soled walking shoes, as steps, stairs and inclines will be plentiful.

Tickets are $20; the tour is free for children age 12 and under. Tickets may be purchased from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, 516 Village Circle (in Pine Mountain Village shopping center), (479) 253-8737; or after 2 p.m, at St. James Episcopal Church, 34 Prospect Ave. In case of inclement weather, check the group’s website at eurekaspringspreservationsociety.org for an update on the status of the tours.

The Eureka Springs Transit Authority’s “red route” trolley will circulate through the tour area until 8 p.m., with parking available at either of the main Transit parking lots. Eureka Springs Van Tours will also circulate through the tour with a 13-passenger van. Parking is available at the old Eureka Springs High School parking lot (U.S. 62 West, opposite Inn of the Hills). Guests must pay the appropriate fees for trolley and van rides.

HomeStyle, Pages 36 on 12/07/2013