WESTLAKE : Festive Homes Draw 2,000 for Holiday Tour

Looking for some holiday cheer--and last-minute decorating tips--nearly 2,000 people toured the homes of four Westlake-area families Sunday during the third annual Wellness Community’s Holiday Home Tour.

In return for being allowed a peek inside the elaborately decorated homes, the crowd paid up to $12 apiece for tickets. The event netted an estimated $20,000 for the Wellness Community, which provides counseling to cancer patients and their families.

“I think people like this event because it gives them the chance to see what the inside of these lovely homes look like,” said Diana Malmquist, event chairwoman. “These people go all out in decorating their homes.”

One of the homes on the tour was that of Jerry and Karen Orefice in Sherwood Country Club Estates. The huge home, constructed in a traditional colonial brick and wood design, used poinsettias and other elaborate holiday floral arrangements in every room.

A professional floral designer, Karen Orefice said she personally prepared each room’s presentation for the tour.

“The lines started forming at 11:30 a.m. and it’s been a steady stream ever since,” Orefice said as she sat on a kitchen stool and greeted a long line of visitors.

“The people have been so nice. It has been a joy to do this because Wellness does so much good out there,” she said.

Other houses on the tour featured an old-fashioned Christmas, Southwest and French country holiday themes.

For Lindy Noe of Agoura, the tour was an excellent way to kick off the holidays.

“It’s fabulous,” Noe said. “I can’t believe what trouble these people go to.”