Dee Broome and Ellen Boutin tour the home of Alison and Andrew Kirkpatrick

It’s been a while since Dee Broome welcomed the community into her home for the Lake Highlands Women’s League home tour. Her house on Westview Circle was one of four featured in 1997, but she remembers it like it was yesterday.

“It was fabulous,” she recalled Friday as she attended this year’s Holiday in the Highlands tour. “I had my decorator come over and make sure everything was just right. It was wonderful.”

She remembers displaying several antique chairs which had belonged to her great grandmother and staying with a neighbor down the street on tour day to resist the urge to listen in as visitors critiqued her choices for wallpaper and Christmas decorations. Her house, known for its distinctive pink brick and white cast stone, has been extensively remodeled since then. Her children, Holly and Paul, who were standout soccer players at LHHS and on professional teams, are now grown.

“We enjoy living in Lake Highlands, it’s a great neighborhood,” she told me. “I love coming on the tour to see people I haven’t seen in a long time. We live in a wonderful community with great schools.”

RISD’s Chris Poteet, Sandra Hayes, Tabitha Branum and Letitia McGowan at the Ince home

Chris Poteet, president of the Richardson ISD school board, agreed.

“I enjoy seeing the people — it’s like a reunion. Every line that I stand in, I see people we know in the community. This is just one of our ways to plug in every year, and it’s unique in the district. When there is an available option like this, it’s great to plug in.”

Poteet was attending with several representatives from RISD, who expressed their appreciation for the sacrifices and accomplishments of volunteers at LHWL.

“I love coming to the home tour, because it’s one way that I have the opportunity to support our Lake Highlands Women’s League and give back the way that they give to our more than 36,000 students,” said Superintendent Tabitha Branum. “I love to see how each house brings their family’s personality to life through the architecture, the design, and, most importantly, their holiday decorations. And I love to get a little inspiration I can bring back to my own house.”

Assistant Superintendent Sandra Hayes, who recently announced retirement plans, has been attending the tour for more than 20 years. She admits she’s no Martha Stewart, but she looks forward to kicking off the holiday season by viewing the beautiful homes.

“I’m not a big decorator, but I love to look, knowing I’ll never do it,” she laughed. “And I love that the league brought kids into the mix at the Sip and Shop holiday market. Kids didn’t perform when that first started, and I love that.”

Lauren Phoenix, Ashley Nelms Davis and Leigh Baldwin

Lake Highlands High School graduate Ashley Nelms Davis attended the tour with neighbors Leigh Baldwin and Lauren Phoenix. The young homeowners were looking for inspiration.

“I’m excited to see the backyard life at this house because I feel like we’re always outside with our kids,” Davis said as they waited in line at the Ince home on Club Glen. “I’m thinking about what I can do to my backyard one day — what I can dream about doing.”

Baldwin grew up in Fort Worth, but she now lives in the ABC streets near LHHS.

“I’m not afraid of a remodel project, so I’m coming to see what they’ve done to this one,” she said. “My dad is a contractor, so I grew up touring homes that he was remodeling and revamping.”

Baldwin was looking carefully, too, at the holiday decorations inside.

“This year, I purged all my cheap decorations, and I’m trying to collect things that I think are really pretty. I put up a second Christmas tree, and I’m trying to build up my collection. It’s fun.”

Phoenix is planning a January remodel of her White Rock Valley home and says she wants to make each piece meaningful to her young family.

“Our girls love to pick out special things, but at this point it’s mostly food related,” she joked. “They chose a bagel ornament to represent our Saturday morning outings. Our house is very much a blank slate. My style is pretty traditional, but I want to look at everything to get ideas. I like to have a few funky spots in the house, too. I work from home, so I have a dedicated office space I’m planning to make my own.”

Missie Hendon and Carol Cory-Brown

As Missie Hendon and Carol Cory-Brown wandered through the houses, they appreciated the diversity in architecture, style and décor.

“I think that’s the fun of it,” said Hendon. “They usually throw in a super modern one, then a real traditional one — just a mix.”

“We’ve been talking about the artwork, the light fixtures, the fabrics — it’s all so colorful,” agreed Cory-Brown.

Hendon hasn’t always been available on tour day. For several years she worked at LHHS, checking visitors in at the front door of the school and helping students in the library.

“I grew up in a different area of Dallas,” said Cory-Brown, “but I just love this community, and I love the fact that Missie, wherever she goes, knows ten or 20 more people. The spirit of this community is fabulous — the way all the women know each other and promote the area.”

Funds raised from Holiday in the Highlands will go to neighborhood projects, nonprofit organizations, local schools and college scholarships. You may donate here.

You may view my photos here.