‘Home for the Holidays’ theme well reflected in the Lincoln Woman’s Club Holiday Home Tours

 

[December 04, 2018] 

On Sunday afternoon, five Lincoln homeowners opened the doors of their beautiful homes to the public as part of the Lincoln Woman’s Club Holiday Home Tours. The homes on the tour offered a variety of home styles and each one was decorated with the homeowner’s interpretation of Christmas.

With a tour theme of “Home for the Holiday’s” each home made guests feel like they had indeed come home for the holidays.

Among the homes on the list were those of Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman, Jim and Jean Lynn, Daniel Wilson, the Leith residence, and Paul and Jenna Crombie.
 

The Goodman home is a new construction home, finished in 2017. The floorplan and overall design of the home is the vision of the homeowner. Goodman, when he was a teenage had already developed his interest in real estate that is now his career. At that young age, he enjoyed drawing floorplans and houses, and the house he lives in today is an adaptation of the home he “dreamed” of as a teenager. Featuring a three car garage on the front side of the home, the large great room area is accessed from the front porch to the side of the garage.

Inside, the very tall ceiling in the great room gives an impression of space and is well accented by large inside shuttered windows. Around the room, as well as many other parts of the house, Goodman’s décor reflects his pride in his city and his love for ballooning.

One special feature was the smaller tree standing in the informal dining area adjacent to the kitchen. The tree decorated by Marsha Fernandes is called the ‘Lincoln tree/’ It features miniature framed photos of sites around the city accented with nods to our nation’s 16th President and city namesake Abraham Lincoln.

Other interesting parts of the holiday décor, all done by Fernandez, include a magnificent tall tree in the great room decorated in white with blown glass ornaments and delicate white flowers.

Downstairs in the family room two trees accent the room and reflect the traditional red and green colors of Christmas. The largest tree features some incredible glass ornaments that have to be seen to be appreciated.

Goodman’s home decor is not complete without the presence of his balloons. In the family room a large photo of Goodman’s balloon Done Deal shows the balloon in full views and also in the reflection of the pond close to where it has landed. On the table with this picture and two others is one of many plaques with quirky or wise sayings on them. This one says “Not all who wander are lost.”

The home of Daniel Wilson, in stark contrast to Goodman’s, is among one of the older homes in the city. Built in 1925 the home is described as an ‘English Cottage.” Inside the home the Christmas décor was subtle and elegant, so as not to overpower the beauty of the home. The home has an interesting history as it was built by Roland Ginzel who was known for his artistic talents. The home was also designed by Ginzel’s father, a well-known architect in the Lincoln area in the 1920’s. The senior Ginzel also designed the Crombie home that was on the Sunday tour.

The Ginzel name is also connected to the home of Jim and Jean Lynn. Located right next door to the Wilson home, the Lynn home was also open for the tour. Inside the beauty of the home stands out immediately with a narrow entryway that leads to the living room area on the right, a guest bedroom on the left, and if one continues forward links to other parts of the home including the dining room. The dining room area features a lovely fireplace with a unique carved wood ‘screen.’

Jean Lynn decorates her rooms with their own themes. In the living room the tree and décor focus on Santa and complement her Santa collection on display in the corner cabinet in the room.

In the dining room the fireplace mantle is decorated with Christmas trees. The room also featured a lovely dining table all decked out with Jean’s Christmas best.

The spare bedroom just off the entryway is very unique in its offering. The room, called the Cowboy Room, is decorated with a western flavor and features some very interesting cowboy pieces.

The Leith home is a 1995 construction ranch style home purchased by the homeowner in 2015. Myrna Leith, a retired teacher from Chester-East Lincoln, has a passion for nature and woodland creatures that is reflected in every room of her home. The spacious living room features a balcony area that she has decorated very tastefully with large and small polar bears and accented with lighted Christmas décor. In every room there are touches of natural wood and wildlife including birch and bears, foxes, owls, bunnies, squirrels and a Christmas tree that features all kinds of creatures including an opossum.

In the master bedroom a collection of framed leaves pay homage to the home she and her late husband occupied previously for 33 years. The tree in the master bedroom is adorable and features a fox who might be decorating the tree, or maybe he’s checking to see what other woodland creatures might be hidden within the branches. A family of foxes sits nearby watching the tree, perhaps also trying to figure out what ‘daddy’ fox is up to.

The kitchen of the home features farm animal accents with some adorable pigs on the island counter top. Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus are quite comfortable in the kitchen in the white bench that sits against a lovely window.

The home of Paul and Jenna Crombie is one that has a Ginzel connection in Lincoln, but it also provides Lincoln with another presidential connection. The three story home built in 1892 was originally owned by the son of Alexander Hamilton.

The home, recently purchased by the Crombie’s, features many updates, but all have been done maintaining the integrity of the original style of the home.

One of the favorite features of visitors on Sunday afternoon was the third floor home theater. Many a guest noted that it was a comfortable location where they could have easily spent the rest of the day.

The Lincoln Woman’s Club building located on North McLean Street near the downtown area is a key building in Lincoln History. Built in 1910 for the Beth-El congregation, it was the only Jewish Synagogue in Lincoln. The congregation dissolved in 1927 and the building was sold to the Woman’s Club for $5,000.

The building has been carefully maintained in its original state since that time by the Woman’s Club. The interior features a balcony over the front entrance that shows off a beautiful stained glass window that is original to the building. Outside, the Star of David over the front entrance also offers testimony as to the original intent of the building.
 

On Sunday, the Woman’s Club, for many, was the last stop on the Holiday Home tour. Throughout the afternoon guests were treated to free coffee, hot chocolate or warm cider. A bake sale was going on throughout the afternoon and guests could make a purchase to enjoy with their coffee, of grab something a little bigger to take home for later.

A raffle was also going on with many amazing items being offered.

Tables were set up and decorated for Christmas along with lovely decorations on the walls and in all the window sills.

The club building also offered an afternoon of entertainment with various groups from local schools performing. At 3 p.m. the entertainment was provided by the Lincoln Junior High School Choir. Music teacher David Young explained that the members present represented about half of the schools choir. The songs they had selected to perform were the same as what will be performed later this month at the school’s Christmas program. Guests enjoyed all the musical offerings from the students while sipping on warm beverages and munching on snacks.

The ticket price and proceeds from the bake sale and raffle at the Woman’s Club go toward the many community projects the club is involved in each year. All in all, the event was very well attended Sunday afternoon, and the Woman’s Club expressed appreciation to all those who came out and also to all those who opened their lovely homes and allowed guests to enjoy their personal interpretations of the holiday season.

[Nila Smith]