You have to wonder why anyone would...

You have to wonder why anyone would let 3,000 strangers wander through her home.

“It’s such a good cause,” said Donna Miller, whose Arcadia house will be part of the annual Holiday Homes Tour put on Friday by the Auxiliary of Methodist Hospital of Southern California.

Miller concedes that the tour is “a little bit of an invasion of privacy. But it’s worth it. When we built this home, we built with the intention of sharing.”

According to auxiliary publicist Donna Pike, the annual event is a big fund-raiser for the Arcadia hospital, bringing in more than $62,000 last year. This is the tour’s 38th year.

Of course, people will not be allowed to roam free in the four professionally decorated homes in the north part of Arcadia.

“It’s very formal,” Miller said. “Everything’s roped off.”

Children under 12 are not allowed, for insurance reasons, nor is photography.

Tour participants will also be treated to dessert and coffee at “Christmas House,” Ayres Hall at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. Boutique items, baked goods and tabletop Christmas trees will also be available for sale.

Advance-purchase tickets, at $12, can be bought in the visitor’s lobby at Methodist Hospital, 300 W. Huntington Drive.

On Friday, tickets will be available for $15 at Ayres Hall, or at any of the tour homes: those belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Franco, 1425 Rancho Road; Ronald and Donna Miller, 1061 Fallen Leaf Road; Mr. and Mrs. Narendra Gupta, 1103 Rancho Road; and the Cleo Bluth family, 675 Hampton Road. Tour hours are 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.