Neal Thompson and John Wallace love to entertain during the holidays. Each year, the couple hosts a party for more than 100 family and friends. Taking in the festive décor that cheerfully fills their three-story Soulard home, first-time guests would never guess that Neal and John tore the place down to the studs and have spent more than 24 years renovating the home from the ground up.

Jim and Ashley Souers collect Santas. Not the traditional variety immortalized by Clement Clarke Moore. Instead, one-of-a-kind figures of all sizes, each hand-crafted and uniquely portrayed by artisans the couple has discovered during their extensive travels. 

For this engaging duo, the winter holidays are a highpoint of the year, and decorating their magnificent residence in Ladue for the season is an art form that takes weeks of preparation. 

Englishman Henry Shaw came to St. Louis in 1819 when he was 19 years old and sold hardware along the riverfront before moving into property management and lending, too. “He made a massive amount of money,” says Missouri Botanical Garden Historical Interpretation Specialist Tyler Nowell. Shaw used some of it to travel — mostly through Europe, where the Kew gardens in London inspired him to grow something similarly striking back home.

Sliding open the original pocket doors leading into the parlor of his 1894 Central West End home, Jim Heeter, owner of the Gifted Gardener, unveils his spectacular homage to the man in the red suit, Santa Claus. Heeter’s love affair with St. Nick goes all the way back to his college days in Springfield, MO, when he was called to fill in for Santa at Sears. What was supposed to be a one-night thing turned into a two-year gig, but it taught Heeter so much about the spirit of the holiday season, which he incorporates into his decorating.

When bringing out the boxes of decorations and working like an elf to deck your halls for the holidays, don't forget to bring a touch of the season to your kitchen. Setting up a display on the kitchen island is an easy way to continue the holiday cheer in a simple, subtle way. Add florals, ribbons, ornaments and more, but don't forget to leave room for holiday food prep or serving. Three local design shops show off their take on a working kitchen-island display in a beautiful kitchen located in the Fischer & Frichtel display home in Enclave Bellerive.

“It’s so easy to do too much, but I have to be selective with the glitter. Just a highlight,” explains Susan Medart, owner of Knollwood Lane. And just like that, with a gentle stroke of glue and sprinkle of fine indigo glitter, a delicate shimmer is added to the manger scene on one of her vintage-inspired Christmas cards.