It’s said the happier you are, the earlier you start celebrating the holidays. With the weather getting colder, it might be time to start planning your Christmas wish list — and the 2025 Homes for the Holidays tour is the perfect place to start.
With eight beautiful homes to see, this well-loved tour, which runs Nov. 14–16, can offer a glimpse into different styles, ideas, designs and trends. Each home is expertly decorated by a local florist or designer and has its own unique spirit.
Homes for the Holidays is not only the perfect activity for a day out, it’s also a major fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, a service that is crucial to supporting those with life-limiting illnesses. The charity provides services at no charge to both individuals in need as well as their families, including 24-hour residential hospice care, community care (palliative care that helps individuals stay in their own home) and bereavement care. Funds raised have a significant impact on Hospice Care’s operating budget, raising close to $2.5 million in the past 22 years. This year’s goal is $130,000, says Taylor Mueller, the fund development and communications manager for Hospice Care Ottawa.
Homes on this year’s tour range from 150-plus years old to newer builds with more modern designs. The event also includes a pop-up shop located at the family-run farm 1818 Farm & Cidery between Stittsville and Carp, featuring many local vendors.
Mueller, who “loves an old-school home,” says her personal favourite this year is a heritage home in Rockcliffe Park. But no matter your style or what you are looking for, “there’s going to be something for you on the tour,” she says.
“The tour brings together the joy and beauty of the holiday season with a much deeper purpose. It ensures no one in our community faces the end of life alone.”
Early-bird tickets are $55 each until Nov. 1, after which they increase to $65.
Here’s a snapshot of this year’s homes:
Fallowfield
Built in 2002, this classic two-storey all-stone home is the perfect place for a family. Cosy and warm with its elegant exterior, it emphasizes both traditional and modern elements and its statement red door embodies the holiday spirit and sets the tone.
Set on a large estate lot, it has the feeling of a country manor with a grand entrance and plenty of green space. Alta Vista Flowers adds strategic arrangements to complement the sparkling holiday decor.
Manotick
This contemporary home is a modern architectural dream, softly accented with extensive and beautiful landscaping. Designed by architect Guy Monette, the home plays with angles, setting the tone right from the main entrance. A stunning sunroom and plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows allow for natural light to flood the interior and connect to the outdoors.
Mill Street Florist, which typically decorates homes on the tour in the Manotick area, is back again this year adding its flair to the home.
Old Ottawa South
Located on the Rideau Canal, this almost 100-year-old home with its simple yet elegant cottage-core esthetic looks as if it has popped straight out of a Disney movie. The elaborate gardens combined with the stone arched doorway give the home a fairy-tale look, which is enhanced by the medieval, castle-like, Tudor-style diamond panes of many of the windows.
The owner is known for her unique “single-colour-focused” holiday decor theme, which has changed from year to year. The theme also allows for extensive art pieces and treasures to be displayed, many of which have been collected from eight diplomatic postings abroad.
Rockcliffe Park #1
This stunning 120-year-old heritage home displays impressive Corinthian columns and delightful gardens. It was designed by well-known Canadian architect Francis Sullivan and has been lovingly updated by the current owner, who is a designer, to carefully mix a modern feel while still maintaining the home’s heritage and history.
The home is filled with both unique character and cultural decor and art. Florals for this home are being done by Capital Florist to complement the style and personality of this charming two-storey.
Civic Hospital
This infill home adds a contemporary flair to a mature neighbourhood (perhaps with a vague resemblance to the Cullen home from the movie Twilight?). Boasting natural materials and earthy tones on the exterior, the home is warm and inviting, with a landscaped, grassless front yard to keep things neat and tidy.
Inside, the homeowners sought an open and airy layout but one that still creates cosy spaces to make for a welcoming retreat. Highlights include a gourmet kitchen, stunning foyer chandelier and details like the fireplace surround and tile-lined, walk-in shower in the primary ensuite.
Flowers Talk Tivoli adds its floral flair to the decorations.
Alta Vista
Don’t let the humble façade of this 1960s bungalow fool you — the interior offers quiet sophistication and its backyard is a comforting oasis. Boasting a U-shaped design, it has an atmosphere of privacy and peace.
The home also carries a piece of history as the current owner is the first and only women to have held the position of Usher of the Black Rod in Canada’s Senate, a position responsible for maintaining order and co-ordinating the swearing-in ceremonies for newly appointed senators.
The front of the home is surrounded by large trees and gardens, adding to the seclusion and peace that is so prominent in the backyard. With this home, nature is never too far away. The Planted Arrow Flowers & Gifts will add its expertise to the homeowner’s decorations in this home.
New Edinburgh
Welcome to one of New Edinburgh’s classic homes. Dating to the 1860s, this historic home is filled with high ceilings and natural light from large, beautiful windows. It includes an artist’s studio, renovated kitchen, period details, extensive landscaping and more.
Mood Moss Flowers has added its artistic touch, complementing the homeowner’s own works.
Rockcliffe Park #2
This 1940s home is understated yet elegant. It was designed for Henry Crerar, a military officer who became the country’s senior field commander in the Second World War, while he was away at war. Secluded with an alluring fountain in the middle of the gardens, this peaceful home is done in a Georgian Revival style, giving a classic countryside homestead impression in an urban environment.
Stoneblossom Floral Gallery adds its creative flair to the home for the tour.
Don’t forget the pop-up shop
The unofficial ninth stop on the tour is the pop-up shop of curated handcrafted gifts, seasonal items and foodstuffs to help you get ready for the holiday season.
This year it will be held at 1818 Farm & Cidery at 1811 Richardson Side Rd., featuring rustic barn beams, orchard views and the heartwarming scent of cider — yes, you can sample!
