Ever wonder how area residents in Victorian homes hang their stockings with care? For the first time in Hoboken, Yuletide seekers can get a glimpse of how their neighbors choose to deck their halls.
The Historic Hudson Street Coalition (HHSC) is sponsoring a Holiday House Tour on Sunday Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Since the 1980s, Hobokenites have come out in droves to the visit area homes for the annual Hoboken House Tour, which showcases the diversity of architectural styles in the mile-square city. However, this is the first time a tour has been organized to take advantage of the holiday season.
"This is tour is a little bit different for other house tours in that, while they have lots of different styles of homes spread throughout the city, we are focusing more on the Victorian homes of Hudson Street and how they might choose to decorate for the holidays," said HHSC member and event organizer Lisa Conde Wednesday. "There is a certain aspect of hospitality in opening up our homes, and we hope that those who go on the tour will get some good ideas about how they can decorate their own homes."
Tour participants will view several homes on Hudson Street, between Sixth and 10th streets, that showcase different holiday decorating ideas and stunning Victorian architectural detail.
Light refreshments will be served at several of the homes and Santa will be making an early appearance along the route.
Court Street Restaurant, on Sixth Street between Washington and Hudson streets, will be the home base for the tour.
The HHSC is a community action group that serves as a conduit to deal with development and quality-of-life issues in Hoboken. The HHSC was formed a little over a year ago when several Hudson Street residents became concerned about a proposed neighborhood development. Feeling neglected, the residents hired their own lawyers and planners and crafted a city ordinance that put restrictions on what types of new developments can be built in their neighborhood. The organization continues to hold community forums that address new development and other issues such as traffic and parking.
Tickets for the event are $25 per person in advance and $30 a person the day of the tour. Children under 10 can go free of charge. Advance tickets are available in Hoboken at: Amanda’s Restaurant, Petruzzelli Reality, Hudson Place Reality, Singleton Galmann Reality, Corporate Reality and Court Street Restaurant, or send a check payable to "HHSC" to HHSC PMB # 144, 409 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. For more information, call 792-6960.