For its 24th year of spotlighting homes in Niagara-on-the-Lake with an abundance of Christmas cheer, the annual Holiday House Tour is coming back this December – with a few twists. 

Tickets for the tour, organized by the Rotary Club of Niagara-on-the-Lake, are on sale now: it will showcase six houses, both historic and modern, decorated for the holidays – inside and out.

Organizers say ticketholders have lots to look forward to on Dec. 1 and 2. 

For one, the committee for this year’s tour has pledged to become more environmentally friendly. 

“We’re trying to green the tour,” Rose Campbell, co-chair of the tour, told The Lake Report. 

The organization will be donating $1 per ticket to Land Care Niagara, a not-for-profit organization, to support its tree planting program.

“That’s to offset the carbon footprint,” Campbell said.

In addition to donations, she added, the tour has also eliminated all paper tickets, opting for e-tickets. Organizers are also reducing the number of booklets.

And, confirmed during Tuesday’s committee meeting, the club will also be using stamps instead of bracelets for ticket holders.

“Most of the wristbands are Tyvek, which is plastic, and they aren’t recyclable,” Campbell said.

Stamps will reduce the amount of waste produced on the tour.

“We’re trying to educate our public audience because we have a mostly older audience,” Campbell said. 

Alongside eco-friendly changes, Campbell’s co-chair, Kevin Stokes, said there will be some changes to the tour’s evening slot, making for a more unique experience than in recent years.

“It’s kind of a party atmosphere,” added Campbell.

The evening tour will again feature an inside look at the McArthur Estate.

“It’s a little bit more intimate than previous years. People get to see sections of the house and get some samplings,” said Stokes. 

The evening tour will also feature live music, wine and whisky samplings, and hors d’oeuvres along with the usual McArthur holiday attractions.

As always, the day tour will feature six unique NOTL properties, each with something special to offer. 

“They’re all beautiful, they’re all very beautiful. Most of them are historic,” said Stokes.

“There’s a lot of really interesting stories behind the houses this year,” Campbell added. 

Ticket sales for the Holiday House Tour have already exceed $85,000 and organizers expect tickets to sell out fast.

If interested, get yours at https://www.niagaraonthelakerotary.ca/page/holiday-house-tour.