Homes from Pomaria to Peak will soon be decking their halls and opening their doors for the area's first Christmas Tour of Homes.

The historic St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pomaria is sponsoring the tour as a fundraiser for a new fellowship hall. Admission to six homes, plus a guided tour of the church, are included in the $15 ticket price. The tour homes will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 1.

“We just thought for this area-the Mid-Carolina area-there are so many homes we think people would be interested in touring,” said St. Paul member Lori Ricard. “We hope to begin something that's going to be an annual thing in the area.”

The ranch-style home of Ronnie Koon, located at 837 Trestle Road in Pomaria, is featured on the tour. Koon's parents moved to the house in 1947, but many changes have been made since that time. The spacious 10-room house will be fully decorated for the Christmas season.

Bill and Kim Hester's Prosperity home is also classified as a traditional ranch-style dwelling. Located at 69 Moore Branch Road, it is a newer home, built in 1998, and contains three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a formal dining room, family room, kitchen and dinette, laundry room and an upstairs gameroom. The Hesters also have a “party house” behind the main house that is decorated with a hunting theme.

Christmas trees with complementary colors to each of the home's main rooms will be on display. The tree in the party house will be decorated with “outdoorsy” ornaments and turkey feathers.

Next, the Boinest Home, is one of the two historic homes on the tour. Built in 1858, it was the home of Lutheran minister, the Rev. Thadeous Boinest. Today, Scott and Tricia Ulch call the 11-room house their home.

Since purchasing the house in 1998, the couple has renovated inside and outside. The home's original heart of pine floors were restored. Visitors may notice photographs in many of the rooms which show historic images of the house's interior. The Boinest Home is located at 821 Boinest Road in Prosperity.

Stanley and Kim Griffin's Georgian-style home, at 2334 Broad River Road, Pomaria, is another stop on the tour. The house was built in 2001 after more than two years of construction. The elegant home has 22 rooms spread over 9,000 square feet.

The Griffins will decorate four trees-two in the formal dining room and living room, another tree in the kitchen decorated with beaded fruit and a 15-foot tree in the family room.

Jeff and Joyce Carter's traditional brick home in Little Mountain was built in 1999. Located at 1033 Jack Stoudemayer Road, the house has a 3,400 square foot floor plan.

The house was built on the old homeplace of James and Mary Eargle, using some of the original wood to construct hardwood floors and a mantle. In honor of the Eargle family, the Carters have created a garden containing the three chimneys remaining from the original homeplace.

The sixth and oldest home on the tour belongs to Tim and Kathy Lott of Little Mountain. The two-story pre-Civil War home at 1201 Ralph Counts Road, was actually moved from its original location in Columbia. It is estimated to have been built in 1840, but in 1994, the house was moved, one story at the time, 18 miles down the road to Little Mountain. Once it arrived at its current location, the two floors were placed back together, matching board to board.

Tour visitors are encouraged to also visit St. Paul Lutheran Church at 2496 Hwy. 773 in Pomaria. It is the church's fourth building since it was established in 1761. The current building was constructed in 1938. The church was built with donated granite and monetary gifts.

On the night of the tour, the church will be offering hot apple cider and cookies.

“Each home has something unique about it,” Ricard said. “I think if people go to these homes, they can find something they can bring back because there are just all different styles.”

Tickets must be shown at the door of each featured home. Participants must provide their own transportation and may visit the houses in any order they choose. Tickets are limited and may be purchased by calling Becky Boland at 924-4052 or by sending a check for $15 to St. Paul Lutheran Church, PO Box 212, Pomaria 29126.