Homes decorated for the holidays, costumed riders on horseback, caroling throughout the town and the annual, Christmas tree lighting. They’re all part of the 2009 Clifton Candlelight Homes Tour. The annual event is set for Saturday, Dec. 5, and is the official start of the holiday season in the Town of Clifton.

“The town looks beautiful, all decorated, reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting,” said Homes Tour co-chairman Jennifer Chesley. “It’s a fun and festive way to begin celebrating the holidays, and it’s nice to see everyone in town working together to make this special event possible.”

From 12-3 p.m., the town business community is sponsoring a visit from Santa Claus in Ayre Square on Main Street. He’ll be sitting in a Victorian sleigh and will be available to pose for photos with children.

Then at 2 p.m., members of the Clifton Horse Society will parade through the town. Riders and horses decked out in holiday attire will travel from the flood plain, up Main Street and down Chapel Road; then they’ll loop back, come down Main Street and turn left onto Chapel Street. They’ll then head to King’s Field, at the end of the street, where the public is invited to come have refreshments, get a closer look at the horses and see who wins the costume contest.

From 4:30-7:30 p.m., five homes will be open for the tour, as will the Clifton Caboose in the Heart in Hand Restaurant parking lot. Strollers and dogs are not allowed. Two churches will host live music performances and Dickens carolers will stroll through the town singing seasonal tunes. Then at 8 p.m. in Ayre Square will be Christmas caroling, refreshments and the annual lighting of the town Christmas tree.

Tickets before Dec. 5 are $20, adults; $5, children under 12. On tour day, they’re $25, adults; and $10, children under 12. (Children under 3, free). Tickets are available in town at Clifton Café, Cottage Art, T&K Treasures, Peterson’s Ice Cream, Clifton Wine Cellars and A Flower Blooms in Clifton. They’re also at Picket Fence in Burke and Banner's Hallmark in Centreville. For more information, contact Chesley at TownofClifton@aol.com or co-chair Lynne Garvey-Hodge at lghassoc@erols.com.

Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the music at Clifton Presbyterian Church, located behind Trummer’s on Main restaurant, on the half hour, staring at 4:30 p.m., and at Clifton Baptist Church at Main and Chapel streets, where Belinda Stevens Music Studio students will play the flute, violin and harp.

The town’s shops and restaurants will also be open, and there’s even a raffle. Prizes are gift certificates to the stores and restaurants, plus a one-night stay at the Canary Cottage Bed & Breakfast, and raffle tickets will only be sold in the caboose, from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

“It’s really a town event, and it’s exciting to see the homeowners and businesses supporting each other,” said Chesley. “And the houses on tour are unique. Most are older homes with a lot of character. It’s just like stepping back in time, and visitors also enjoy being able to walk easily between the homes, churches, shops, restaurants and caboose.”

“The contributions of numerous volunteers, homeowners and churches make this a special night that reminds us all of the need for peace on earth and community commitment,” said Garvey-Hodge. “It is an enchanting, well-organized opportunity to visit Clifton and imagine what this Victorian railroad town might have looked like 100 years ago.”

Rishling Home

Michael Rishling has lived in this quaint and cozy home on Dell Avenue since 2006. It was built around 1904 and restored nearly a century later. At less than 1,000 square feet, it’s one of the smallest, original homes in Clifton.

Here, modern and traditional living go hand-in hand. The kitchen features granite countertops and Australian cypress floors, yet an old-fashioned pine staircase leads upstairs to bedrooms adorned with period furniture.

Anton Home

Clifton Town Councilman Michael Anton and his family recently moved from Frog Hill to this home right in the heart of the town, so this will be their first Christmas here. Also called the Fulmer House, after former Clifton resident J.M. Fulmer, who once lived here, it was built in 1910.

This Chapel Street home is decorated with family heirlooms and antiques, plus Claudia Anton’s collection of china and stoneware. Visitors will also see miniature, lighted buildings displaying a “Christmas in the City” theme, plus the dining-room table set with Spode Christmas china.

Keene Home

Ginny and Vernon Keene are this home’s original owners. Designed by acclaimed Clifton architect Jim Hricko and built in 1985, it features a contemporary interior, open floorplan and eclectic furnishings.

The couple’s flair for the bright, creative and unusual is evident in the holiday decorations. Ginny is an interior designer, so people visiting this Chapel Street home during the tour are in for some special, decorating treats.

RussekRobbins Home

Also known as the Clifton Creek House, Erich and Lisa RussekRobbins’s Main Street home was built in 1990 on the former site of a small bungalow. There’s lot of artwork, including a Chagall lithograph, a numbered Matisse and original paintings by Erich and his mother.

The dining-room mantle was built in 1886 for a home in Washington, D.C., and the piano is a 1906 Story and Clark upright. Also on display are family mementos from Erich’s grandfather, who was a rodeo cowboy and appeared in the 1939 World’s Fair.

Canary Cottage

Owned by Garvey-Hodge, this Main Street B&B is also her home. (It’s also standing in for the Leetch home, originally slated to be on the tour, but unable to participate). Canary Cottage was originally a general store and served as an Episcopalian Church from 1906-1921. It’s also been a saloon, meat market, pool hall, lighting store, bakery, cabinet shop and print shop. The small addition on the front was built in 1926 as a barbershop.

The family room is paneled with wood from a 225-year-old Tennessee barn. The stained-glass doors leading into the living room came from a Clifton Hotel suite (now Trummer’s on Main) and, before that, were on a Trans-Atlantic steamship. Decorations include Santas, themed Christmas trees, hand-embroidery and snail ornaments from Garvey-Hodge’s collection. The property includes a separate carriage house she uses as her art studio.

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