Sonoma Valley Holiday Home Tour
Kate McFarland
Each December, a select few in the Sonoma Valley forgo the privacy of their own homes for the holiday season’s largest school charity event. The annual Presentation School Holiday Home Tour and Luncheon features tours of some of Sonoma’s most beautiful and festive homes, and as Francine Maffei, former
Presentation School principal and a cornerstone organizer for the event, explains, “This is the eleventh year of the tour, for a lot of locals it marks the start of the holiday season … seeing these houses with their spirit and decorations.”
While the homes on the tour are never revealed in advance, Maffei was happy to reveal a special addition to the tour this year. “We are excited to have the HGTV home that’s going to be given away by the Ledson family this year, which is really special, because it is the first real look at the house that the public is going to get.” The interior of the HGTV home has remained thoroughly under wraps and interior photographs will not be posted on HGTV’s website until Dec. 15.
Maffei, along with Dawn O’Neill, is responsible for the publicity and coordination between The Presentation School, the tours of the homes and the public. “I can’t say enough about Dawn and her approach to organizing this tour. There are over 500 attendees at this event, and it’s really amazing. Can you imagine having 500 people walking through your living room?” said Maffei with a smile. Aside from satisfying the public’s curiosity by offering a rare glimpse inside some of Sonoma’s finest homes, the tour serves a as fundraiser for The Presentation School, a fundraiser that, according to Maffei, “Our school’s budget depends on. It has by far the biggest sales [of our fundraisers] and really is important to our school’s funding.”
The benefits of the tour and luncheon aren’t merely financial, either, as the event provides a major boost for the school’s public relations. “Students from the school act as hosts, help people out of their cars and assist with the raffles and luncheons. It really unites the community with our school, and us with them,” said Maffei. “People come from out of town and are e-mailing us weeks in advance in anticipation. This is really a holiday highlight. It shows how generous and wonderful our community is, to literally just open their doors for our school.”
The Presentation School Holiday Home Tour and Luncheon will be held on Friday, Dec. 12. The tour will depart from the tent at the parking area of Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery, 389 Fourth St. E. Home tours begin at 10 a.m. and luncheon seatings will be at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., in the cellars of the winery. Tickets are $70. For more information on the event call 707.93.0122, ext. 202. For further details on the HGTV home visit www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dream_home.
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