Photo by Deb Gau Nolan Schultz checks out the decorated Christmas trees at the home of Lorraine Reiter and Dawn Lee during the Lyon County Historical Society’s holiday home tour on Sunday.

MARSHALL — Santas, snowmen, Christmas trees of all sizes — there was plenty to see on the Lyon County Historical Society’s Holiday Home Tour this weekend. Marshall area homeowners said putting up special decorations to share with area residents was a big undertaking, but a fun one.

Dawn Lee said she had been up until about 2:30 in the morning getting ready for the tour.

“It’s fun,” she said. “I just like sharing the happy.”

The Home Tour, an annual fundraiser for the Historical Society, was held Sunday afternoon. This year’s tour featured the homes of Dennis and Carol White, Lorraine Reiter and Dawn Lee, and Tim and Donna Swenson in Marshall.

The tour is “kind of the kickoff of the holiday season,” said Lyon County Museum Director Jennifer Andries. Visitors like to make an event of the tour, and maybe also visiting the museum, or going out for a meal, she said. “People look forward to it every year.”

The homes featured this year covered a range of different eras and architectural styles. The oldest house on the tour was Dennis and Carol White’s home, which was built in 1915. Through the years, the different residents of the house have kept some of its details.

“The woodwork is original,” as were some of the light fixtures, Carol White said. Some of the Whites’ furniture also had its own history that blended in with the style of the house. Carol pointed out some of the pieces that came from her grandparents’ homestead. “I tried to save things.”

Being featured on the tour was a bit of a change for Carol, who is a member of the Historical Society board. But she hoped people had a good time visiting her and Dennis’ home.

“We figured other people might just as well enjoy it,” she said.

Of course, fun collections and decorations were also a big part of what people could see on the home tour. Visitors at the Whites’ house were greeted by a big bunch of holiday teddy bears. At Lorraine Reiter and Dawn Lee’s home, the decorations included 10 different Christmas trees, as well as a collection of Santa Claus figures. Lee estimated that her mother Lorraine had around 500 Santas.

“She’s 90, so she’s been collecting for a long time,” Lee said.

Getting ready for the tour in Marshall began well in advance of the event, Lee said.

“I started probably the week before Halloween,” she said.

At their home, Tim and Donna Swenson shared both special items they had collected — like keepsakes from trips to Ukraine and antique dishes — as well as furniture and decorations they made themselves.

“I enjoy painting, and Tim enjoys working with wood,” Donna said. She had painted many of the artworks displayed around Some of Donna’s acrylic paintings went well with the holiday theme of the tour, like a group of snowman paintings in the living room.

Tim said he had more time to enjoy woodworking after retiring. He had built items like a coffee table and a hexagon-shaped card table in the Swensons’ home. For the top of the card table, he used alternating stripes of black walnut and butternut wood, with inlaid trim.

“It was a little bit of a challenge to get all the angles right,” he said.

Andries said the turnout for this year’s tour was looking positive. A steady stream of people visited the tour stops on Sunday, homeowners and volunteers said.

“The biggest part (of the tour) is, the homeowners opening up their homes,” Andries said. “We’re grateful for them, to do that.”