When it comes to holiday decorating, few of us can resist going all out and dressing our homes in grand style. We unabashedly pull out all the stops—no corner is left untouched, and every square inch is decked with meaningful heirloom trinkets, dazzling ornaments, fresh garlands and glamorous sparkle.

Ladue homeowner Judy Dude had only six weeks to prepare for the 2021 Deck the Halls of Glennon Homes holiday tour. But she didn’t stress. “I just accelerated what I do every year,” she explains. “It really was just a matter of welcoming everyone into our home since we already decorate lots every Christmas.”

Each year when they visit for Thanksgiving, Liz Mantych’s four adult kids go into the attic of her Town and Country home to help her set up Christmas trees. “The attic ladder comes down, and it’s kind of a three-person job,” she says. “There’s a person on the top of the ladder, on the ladder and on the floor. It’s craziness. Every year I think, ‘Maybe I won’t do this next year,’ but then next year comes around.”

With both adult daughters out of the house, Susan and Scott Hunt look forward to the holiday season as a way to get some much-needed family time. The big yearly event, Susan notes, is daughter Holly’s annual “Day Before the Night Before Christmas” party, where the girls and their friends all gather at the Hunt household like they did when they were teenagers. “It’s so nice to have the girls home and to see all their old friends,” Susan says. “A good time is had by all! That’s the holiday tradition we look forward to most every year.”

When Thanksgiving approaches, homeowner Brigette McMillin knows Patti Porter and her team of holiday elves from the Rusted Chandelier are not far behind to deck her home for the holiday season. “She comes in and waves her Christmas wand, and POOF!” Brigette laughs.

Their love of the great outdoors and ample outdoor living space drew the Bacich family to the lot they built their home on in 2014. “We wanted the house to be centered around the outdoor spaces, fall and fires,” says homeowner and mother Dana Bacich. When the home was first completed, the family’s three children were young, and Tim and Dana Bacich wanted them to be able to enjoy time outside and ride their bikes around the neighborhood.