Garden Club celebrates ‘Joys of Christmas’ with annual house tour

By Mary Ann Price

The Canton Garden Club continued its tradition of house tours with “Joys of Christmas” last weekend. The five houses drew visitors into two homes from the 19^th century and three others that are modern residences. The tour ended at the Canton Public Library with the Garden Club Holiday Marketplace.

The dining room in the Del Vecchio home

The first stop was the home of Christine and Jeff Lavoie and their family on Colts Crossing. Members of the club decorated the first floor with greens, ribbons and Christmas balls that reflected the light streaming through the windows at the back of the house.

An angel stood on a ledge at the entrance to the family room. Lorraine Hatch crafted the angel from a tomato cage. “My aunt gave me some old fur,” she said. Hatch trimmed the angel’s dress with the white mink. She was the chairman of decorating for the house, and she and Helene Weiner helped create decorations for the breakfast nook with kale and artichokes.

“It’s just beautiful,” said Lynne Dolan of Milton. Her friend Louise Lydon, also of Milton, agreed. “The kale they used for the decorations, they’re beautiful,” she said. “(The club members) nurtured the house.”

Next on the tour was the home of Lynne and John Gualtieri of Messinger Street. Their house was built circa 1853 by Lt. Col Luke Shepard. The club decorated the home with a “Night Before Christmas” theme, which included 19 mice (none of them stirring).

“The decorations fit in with the time period of the house,” said Deb DiIeso of Canton. “You can see the talent in the decorations.” Her friend Ann MacDonald of Canton said she liked to visit the homes on the tour to get tips on decorating. “I could bring these ideas back to my home,” she said.

The tour included a condo and common great rooms at River Village on Walpole Street. Nancy White and Alice Giordano are members of the Easton Garden Club and were impressed by the decorations at River Village. “The garland at the condo was striking,” White said. She also liked the welcoming cider and fire. “That was a really nice touch,” she added.

House number five was the home of Lisa Lopez and Victor Del Vecchio on Chapman Street. Carol Witt, Marilyn Curran, Emily Jennings, and Carolyn McNeil worked on decorations in the dining room, which featured a centerpiece of four dozen roses. “It came out amazing,” Witt said. “The girls kind of worked off of each other’s ideas.”

Thomas Draper built the home around 1882, and the club worked to keep its history prominent. The Del Vecchios are planning their daughter’s 2011 wedding, and a vintage wedding gown on loan from the Canton Historical Society was arranged on the stairs leading to the second story. The dress had been worn by an earlier Canton bride. There was also a portrait of Elijah Morse, on loan from the Canton Public Library, in the dining room.

“I love the Victorian feel to the house,” Kathy Hardiman of Canton said. Sue Callahan of Canton agreed: “It’s nice going back in history.”

At the library, club members Mary Titus and Cheryl James greeted visitors with baked goods and handcrafted decorations of fresh greens. Proceeds from ticket sales and the purchase of items at the Holiday Marketplace help the club to beautify Canton and fund scholarships for seniors at Canton High School.

Members of the Garden Club Boutique Committee (l-r): Maribell Powell, Carol Witt, Marilyn Murphy, Mary Titus, Cheryl James, Ann Aledda and Marie Pacella