Celebrating the Holidays: Holiday Home Tour

Thank You for Attending the 2024 St. James Service Club Holiday Home Tour. We hope you enjoy the beautiful homes and festive displays.

To ensure a safe and enjoyable home tour experience here are some guidelines.

  • Please carpool - parking is limited

  • Please comply with volunteers’ parking and traffic instructions and signage. Parking restricted to one side of street and approved areas to ensure emergency access.

  • Avoid parking on residents’ grass.

  • Please respect homeowners’ furnishings and decorations. Look with your eyes - please don’t touch.

  • Booties provided where applicable, no bare feet permitted.

  • Bathroom facilities are available at the Clubs. And Community Center

  • Participation is at one’s own risk.

1. The Hooks Home


3068 Baycrest Drive

We are decking the Hooks’ halls with explosions of Holiday cheer.  The Hooks LOVE Christmas and each room features different themes that have meaning to the family.  The decor and the ornaments throughout the home have been inherited and collected over many years. The family’s passion for pickleball and for Wake Forest University is illustrated with unique trees that celebrate both.  There is so much to see, and we know you will enjoy the exuberant spirit of this home!

Parking Info: Baycrest Drive is a non-through street.  Please park past the two tour homes, to minimize congestion, at the far end of Baycrest Drive.  Secondary parking is on Bay Edge Lane.

You can stay parked and walk between the homes, using the crosswalk.  You can tour them in either order, to minimize any wait time.

2. The Driskill Home
3071 Baycrest Drive

As you approach this festive home a Holiday Photo Opportunity sets the tone for the homeowners’ playful Holiday Spirit! Step into the foyer and be immersed in a creative mix of traditional and contemporary furnishings and décor.

You will be welcomed by a warm fire, and you will discover many opportunities for toasting the Holidays. The hearth is the heart of the home, and you will discover this home has a big heart.

* Pet lives on premises: dog

Parking Info: Baycrest Drive is a non-through street.  Please park past the two tour homes, to minimize congestion, at the far end of Baycrest Drive.  Secondary parking is on Bay Edge Lane.

You can stay parked and walk between the homes, using the crosswalk.  You can tour them in either order, to minimize any wait time.

3. Gingerbread House, 3828 Reserve Club Drive

St. James Properties has graciously offered their model home in the Reserve to display all things “Gingerbread”. Upon entering the house, the festive holiday decorations and the delicious gingerbread aroma will delight you. As you tour the main rooms of the home, be sure to note all the ingenious gingerbread art objects crafted by St. James residents for you to admire and enjoy.

Parking Info: Please park in the Reserve Club parking lots.

4. The Mason Home


3403 Knollwood Circle

You’d Better Watch Out!

These creative homeowners designed a home that offers an abundance of everything. Throughout this home you will find modern, rustic and coastal touches. The many windows bring the beautiful outdoor views inside. The main tree is filled with meaningful ornaments from the homeowners’ travels. Traditional decorations offset by a coastal flair evoke memories of snowy winter holidays and appreciation for warm, sunny island celebrations.

Stay alert and you will discover Santa peeking out in surprising places. And you must be on your best behavior! It is rumored that Santa may show up.

Parking Info: This is a one-way traffic location, with entrance at one end and exit at the other. Please park head-in on Knollwood Circle Island. Use the cross walk. No parking on Oceanic Drive.

5. The Hemric Home


3711 Pepperbush Dr.

Santa’s Beach House

Santa has a vacation home in St. James! He comes to rest and relax in this house on Pepperbush Drive in preparation for his big night on December 24 th. The two floors of this home are filled with various themed rooms that help you feel the magic and joy of the holiday season. The collections of ornaments and décor have been accumulated over a 38-year teaching career and a life-long love of the Christmas holiday for both homeowners. From Snoopy to Disney to the Grinch, you will see some ornaments that are more than 35 years old…one is even over 90 years old! There will be a scavenger hunt looking for nativity scenes spread throughout the house. How many will you be able to find?

Parking Info: This is a non-through traffic location. Please park on the right side of Pepperbush Drive and on Shellbark Court.

6. The Richards Home


3641 Members Club Boulevard

With A Little Help from Friends and Family

Experience Christmas charm of yesteryear created with a little help from friends and family. Wafting of melodic music, by Silver by the Sea musicians, enhances the warmth and coziness of this home boasting a spectacular view of the sixth hole on Members Irwin front. Family heirlooms strategically placed keep memories close to this homeowner’s heart. Can you identify six-year-old Luke O’Neill’s original work of art created in 1991, or a fancy cut-glass pitcher grandma used to serve lemonade to this homeowner’s grandfather in one of the China cabinets? Remember the Berlin Wall ~ marvel at a tea service set bought in 1984 in Germany when one wanted to smash it into smithereens. Be inspired by classic holiday designs with traditional colors creating vintage and timeless place settings provided by Home Setters, a local design company. Feel the love sewn within each stitch of a quilted comforter made by friends to wrap oneself in nightly. Discover other gems as you meander through this beautiful coastal home.

Parking Info: Please park in the lower Members Club parking lot only, use the crosswalks and follow the walking path. Do not park on Members Club Boulevard.

7. St. James Chapel
3620 St. James Drive

Come visit our “Little Chapel in the Woods”, decked out for the holiday season in festive greenery, hanging red-ribboned wreaths, evergreen swags and candles, lush poinsettias gracing the altar, and classical Christmas music setting the tone.  One of the earliest amenities in our community, the St. James Chapel is a tribute to the vision and generosity of St. James founder, Homer Wright.  The Chapel design is an exact replica of a remote church that had been moved to the banks of the Cape Fear River many years ago and restored.  The Chapel’s exterior was completed in 1991, the interior subsequently followed, and the first service was a Thanksgiving service on November 14, 1995.  

Learn more about the Chapel’s history, services, and programs inside. The Chapel depends solely on the generous offerings of the worshippers for its upkeep and maintenance. Many people aren’t aware that the Chapel doesn’t receive any funds from the POA or TOSJ.  

Outside, pause and reflect in our Commemorative Garden honoring loved ones, and a separate garden for beloved pets.

Parking Info: For stops 7-9, Please park in the Fire Station parking lot by the Garden of Honor – turn off St. James Drive into the parking lot across from Ruddy Duck Lane. Limited parking also is available in the Chapel parking lot, for those with walking difficulty.

8. SJFD Fire Station
3628 ST. James Drive

Dedicated on April 1, 2000 and expanded in 2004, Station 1 is the heart of the St. James Fire Department, home to nearly 100 volunteer men and women. The station accommodates a ladder truck, two pumpers, a rescue truck, two ambulances, and an EMS First Response vehicle. It also features offices for Administration and EMS, along with a large training room for Fire, EMS, and Fire Police programs, community CPR classes, and departmental meetings.

The land was donated by St. James developer Homer Wright. Construction of the building was accomplished through a combination of donations, loans, and the sweat equity of our residents. Thanks to residents’ connections, the fledgling department obtained used firefighting equipment donated by fire departments up north. For many years, Station 1 also served as the Town Hall until the current Town Hall and Community Center were built.

Each holiday season, the festively decorated firehouse becomes the starting point for Santa and his Fire Department elves, who deliver gifts to residents’ children and grandchildren.

Parking Info: For stops 7-9, Please park in the Fire Station parking lot by the Garden of Honor – turn off St. James Drive into the parking lot across from Ruddy Duck Lane. Limited parking also is available in the Chapel parking lot, for those with walking difficulty.

9. Garden of Honor
3628 St. James Drive

In 2022, a fallen tree sparked the idea for the SJFD Garden of Honor, located at the corner of St. James Dr. and Players Club Dr. This garden was created to honor the volunteer men and women of the St. James Fire Department, who have selflessly served the community since 1999, along with their families who support them.

Dedicated on April 24, 2023, the garden features a brick monument, water feature, and plaque recognizing the department’s divisions: Fire, EMS, and Fire Police. A bridge crosses a swale to the garden, symbolizing the connection between the department and the community they protect. The plaque reads, “The Garden of Honor – Dedicated to the men and women of the St. James Fire Department, both past and present, for their service to the community,” serving as a lasting tribute to their commitment and sacrifice.

Parking Info: For stops 7-9, Please park in the Fire Station parking lot by the Garden of Honor – turn off St. James Drive into the parking lot across from Ruddy Duck Lane. Limited parking also is available in the Chapel parking lot, for those with walking difficulty.