Carolers sang, nutcrackers stood at attention, angels beamed from above, and Santas put finishing touches on Christmas gifts.  Taken together, the seven homes on the Ocean Ridge Charity Association’s December 6 Holiday House Tour in Ocean Ridge presented a magical vision of Christmas where the world is peaceful and everyone is safe and snug at home by the hearth.

But, some folks in Brunswick County are not warm and comfortable in their homes. To help remedy this situation ORCA joined in partnership with Brunswick Electric’s “Warm Homes, Warm Hearts” campaign, which offers heating assistance to seniors and families in need. ORCA’s involvement was spearheaded by homeowner Joanne Bush, who organized the house tour with help from ORCA representative Judy Cunningham. They hope the tour will become an Ocean Ridge tradition.

 The House Tour raised $1,800 and gave 180 guests the pleasure of viewing outstanding Christmas collections.  In the true spirit of Christmas, the Ocean Ridge Activity Committee donated $325 from the tree lighting event, and the ORCA board generously added to the pot, bringing the final figure to $2,500. This amount will be matched by Brunswick Electric. Brunswick Family Assistance will have the responsibility to distribute funds to specific families for a total of $5,000.

During the tour, ORCA members greeted visitors while hosts graciously showed off their collections. Each home inspired gasps of awe and delight from guests as they entered.

Highlights of the tour: 

At the home of Joanne and Richard Bush the visitor sees handmade wreaths, collections of Santas and mangers, a fly-fishing tree,  beach tree and a 10-foot tree with ornaments dating back five generations;

Linda and Ed Sutton boast an astonishing collection of 70 Christmas puzzles, as well as a New England village collection and 42 Metropolitan Art Museum snowflakes—one for each year of their marriage;

Santas and elves ushered the visitor into the home of Rosemary and Richard Kilbridge where there is also a collection of dolls dating from 1965;

Lisa and Tom O’Rourke displayed over 200 Christmas Caroler figurines, a collection of angels, and an array of garlands and trees;

John Lefebvre’s home showcased a large collection of snowmen,  a snow village, and an assortment of dolls and ornaments;  

Shirley and Nelson Johnsons’ brightly-decorated  home was full of nutcrackers, snowmen, and ornaments bought over the years for children and grandchildren ;

last but far from least was the home of John Wehner where 170 nutcrackers of every size imaginable (four inches up to five feet) competed for attention with four beautiful Christmas trees, and an incredible collection of 25 glass tree toppers in candlesticks.