NEWBURYPORT — For anyone wondering what some of the area’s grandest and most beautiful homes look like on the inside, Saturday’s Holiday House Tour provided the answers — with some treats and surprises along the way.
The house tour, organized by the Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association and sponsored by Gibson/Sotheby’s, featured nine private residences in Newburyport and Newbury, as well as stops at various local events and sites. This year, over 1,000 ticket holders experienced the creativity and attention to detail demonstrated by the homeowners, who outdid themselves with themed decor and elaborate scenes.
The self-guided tour began at the Newburyport Senior/Community Center, where tour-goers picked up their tour books and maps. More than a dozen vendors were stationed there, displaying and selling their holiday crafts. Visitors departed from the center and were free to meander from house to house in any order they chose.
“The Holiday House Tour is a long-standing tradition in Newburyport. People look forward to it and start reaching out as early as September for tickets,” Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association President Sheryl Blair said.
The tour, which dates back more than 30 years, has grown over time to include elaborate displays of homeowner creativity.
This year, tour-goers were treated to a house with 11 Christmas trees, carolers singing sea shanties, Santa and Mrs. Claus perched in a convertible parked in the driveway of one home, and a steel drum band. They also sipped hot cocoa and snacked on cider, donuts and cookies as they made their way along the route.
In addition to viewing private homes staffed by more than 100 volunteers, visitors also stopped at the Port Gingerbread Festival, Santa’s Workshop, and the Artist Shanties along the waterfront. A private residence on Marlboro Street in Newburyport provided viewers with an outdoor Charlie Brown Christmas scene that has become a tradition on the Tour since Covid.
The exterior of the Pink House in Newbury was named an Honorary Community Treasure. This year’s Community Treasure, Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center on Plum Island, was open for touring, with guides available to answer questions and provide information about the center. The center was also the location of a complimentary chowder lunch provided by Newburyport’s Starboard Galley restaurant.
Four of the featured private homes were located on High Street, one of Newburyport’s grandest avenues. Tour-goers also made stops on Toppans Lane, Munroe Street, Congress Street, and Water Street in Newburyport, as well as Green Street in Newbury.
Kristin Hunter, who co-chaired the event with Alison Fruh and Anne Tuthill, calls the house tour “the bow on the events of the year. It’s part of people’s holiday tradition. They come year after year, and people feel a sense of community.”
Now in her 16th year of leading the house tour, Hunter says visitors are consistently amazed and inspired by each house’s decorations.
“Every year, people tell me, ‘This was the best tour ever!’” she laughs.
All proceeds from the Holiday House Tour benefit the Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association, which was founded in 1888 and is dedicated to enhancing healthcare services through fundraising and volunteer efforts. The association supports patient care, education, and community outreach programs at Anna Jaques. Funds go towards direct patient care — purchasing chemo chairs and iPads for cancer patients and providing teddy bears to children who come into the ER, for example — and also toward recognizing hospital employees and volunteers by giving turkeys to the entire hospital staff at Thanksgiving.
In October, the aid association presented a check for $170,000 to Anna Jaques; almost $50,000 of that amount was raised from house tour ticket sales. Hunter says that work on next year’s Holiday House Tour starts now, with staff and volunteers comparing notes about the possible houses to be included on next year’s tour.
The success of the Holiday House Tour is measured not just by the funds raised for Anna Jaques, but by the community’s enthusiasm for the event. John Kelley, proprietor of Kelley’s Service Station in Newburyport, wrote online after the event.
“Whoever made this open house Christmas thing happen today……..thank you for bringing so many people out in a way that made the town feel alive…dare I say special. Let’s have more of that.”