Organized by the Lake Highlands Women’s League, this annual event raises funds to support local schools and scholarships for Lake Highlands students.
The Allens’ home. Photo courtesy of Ashley Grabler Designs. Photo credit Michael Hunter.
The Lake Highlands Women’s League throws open the doors and for the 46th Annual Holiday Home Tour: Holiday in the Highlands, presented by Walne Family Holdings. The event is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6.
Since its inception in 1970, Holiday in the Highlands has raised approximately $3.5 million to benefit Lake Highlands’ schools, community groups and college scholarships. Tickets are on sale here.
The Allens’ home. Photo courtesy of Ashley Grabler Designs. Photo credit Michael Hunter.
Attendees will view holiday displays at four Lake Highlands homes:
- 9311 Moss Circle Drive, the home of the Allen family: This historic farmhouse built in the 1930s by Harry S. Moss to give a bull he purchased at the Texas State Fair room to roam. Known by their family as Moss Haven, the home was a reprieve from “city life” and was featured in Architectural Digest in January of 1958.
- 7737 Eagle Trail, the home of the Austin family: The horse stables across the street and the resident ostentation of peacocks drew the Austins to their unique lot on Eagle Trail in 2020. As you tour the home, be on the lookout for many peacock “nods” seamlessly incorporated into art, lamps, wallpaper and even hand towels. With a great appreciation for both family history and the great outdoors, this family has created a beautiful home to cherish for decades.
- 8728 Fenchurch, the home of the Blessing family: This family of six has created the perfect family home that pairs classic sophistication with boyish-rugged charm. Gathering areas for family and friends encourage interaction with an inviting feel while the home’s flow works perfectly for a busy family with four growing boys. On display in the home is a charming and special collection of sketches by Lake Highlands resident and Allison’s best friend, Becky Haas. Each sketch represents a home the Blessings have lived in along the way.
- 9617 Shadydale, the home of the Gray family: Mark and Maurie Gray own an architecture firm, M-Gray Architecture, and their talent and eye for detail is evident in every corner of their home. Oak carpentry and several pieces of art celebrate the oak tree, which has been a symbol of strength and stability in the Grays’ marriage: Mark proposed under an oak tree and they married under an oak tree at Maurie’s parent’s farm in Fredericksburg. A memorable Christmas spent in Sweden inspired a warm, rustic feeling they bring into their home when they decorate for the holidays.
The Austins’ home. Courtesy photo.
Keep the holiday fun going with a stop at the Sip & Shop, presented by Volvo Dallas, at the Lake Highlands Women’s League Marketplace at the KayCee Club, an event that complements the home tour by offering another way to support the Lake Highlands community. Visitors can shop for holiday treasures from 20 local vendors offering art, jewelry, clothing, food and other gifts while catching up with friends and enjoying a holiday cocktail. Admission is offered at no charge for the Sip & Shop, which will take place at 10110 Shoreview Road in Dallas. It’s from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, and from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6.
The Austins’ home. Courtesy photo.
The community can support the cause with the chance to win a great prize by entering the Lake Highlands Women’s League Holiday in the Highlands Raffle. Enter for a chance to win complimentary valet parking at NorthPark Center for a year (just in time for holiday shopping!) for just $25 per raffle ticket (drawing to be held December 6, winner need not be present to win). Or, for just $50 per ticket, enter the raffle for an opportunity to win a Home Tour Party Bus experience, which provides transportation for 12 people to all homes on the tour, with light bites and bubbly provided, too (drawing held Nov. 22, winner need not be present to win).
The Blessings’ home. Courtesy photo.
New this year: The giving will continue even after the Sip & Shop concludes! This year, the giving will continue Dec. 7-14 through the Love LH virtual shopping event. Participating local businesses will give shoppers a 10% discount – and will also donate 10% of proceeds to the Lake Highlands Women’s League to help raise money for important local initiatives. More details will be available at www.LHWL.org
The Blessings‘ home. Courtesy photo.
The holiday tour is chaired by Jenny Littlefield and Stephani Walne, Lake Highlands residents and volunteers from the Lake Highlands Women’s League. They lead an effort assisted by the Home Tour Committee and Finance Committee of volunteers from the Lake Highlands Women’s League, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the Lake Highlands community for more than 50 years.
“The holidays are a season of giving, and we’re grateful that this joy and spirit allows us to fund educational opportunities for our Lake Highlands High School seniors,” Littlefield stated in a press release. “Seeing them receive their scholarships in the spring feels like the holidays all over again.”
The Grays’ home. Courtesy photo.
“We invite everyone to kick off their holiday season with us here in Lake Highlands, viewing beautifully decorated homes and making a life-changing difference for a graduating senior by helping us raising funds for scholarships,” Walne added in the release.
Tickets for the home tour are $25 and are available here, along with links to purchase raffle tickets. Admission to the Sip & Shop at the KayCee Club on Dec. 5 and 6 is free. (Hot tip: Bring your Holiday in the Highlands Home Tour ticket to show at the Sip & Shop to get a complimentary glass of bubbly.)
The Grays’ home. Courtesy photo.
Lake Highlands Women’s League also is encouraging visitors to the home tour to participate in Lunch Around Lake Highlands on Dec. 1 to help support the local restaurant community by dining out at a Lake Highlands area restaurant of their choice.
In 2023, the tour raised $215,000, which directly funded specific projects and services for 12 nonprofit organizations and 13 schools, and provided college scholarships to 33 exceptional Lake Highlands High School students. From supplies and technology upgrades at area schools to car seats for new mothers and summer reading initiatives at area libraries, the Lake Highlands Women’s League heard and proudly responded to a wide range of impactful opportunities.
For more information on Holidays in the Highlands or to learn more about the Lake Highlands Women’s League, visit www.lhwl.org.