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Annual tour gets Christmas spirit going Ellen Naumes's home will be part of the Soroptimist holiday home tour in Medford. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Friday Nov 17, 2017 at 2:00 AM Nov 17, 2017 at 3:48 PM Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune @thewholedish Golf-course and poolside views framed by family heirlooms greet guests at Butch and Ellen Naumes’ east Medford home. Yet Ellen laughs off inquiries about her aesthetic. The decor, she jokes, is “Early American yard sale.” The hand-me-downs of prominent Rogue Valley orchardists, however, are likely to pique plenty of interest on the annual Holiday Home Tour. The Naumes home, situated behind Rogue Valley Country Club off Hillcrest Drive, is one of four featured for the annual event organized by Soroptimist International of Medford. “They fund a lot of projects with the money they get from this,” says Ellen Naumes, a Soroptimist member for 40 years. Raising approximately $12,000 annually for programs primarily serving women, children and families in need, each home tour hosts between 500 and 600 people, says Kathy McCullough, the Soroptimist chapter president. This year’s self-guided itinerary takes ticket holders to various points in Medford: a charming, contemporary home in southwest Medford; elegant two-story and contemporary homes in east Medford; and a Colonial-style home in the older area of the city’s east side. Each is commemorated in a keepsake program, included in the tour’s $15 minimum donation. Just in time for the tour, Ellen Naumes hopes to have new stained-glass windows installed depicting dragons. Those stand to enhance the medieval sensibility of her home’s 15-foot wood and beam ceilings throughout its nearly 3,000 square feet. Built in 1965 by Butch Naumes’ parents, Robert “Nooks” and Jarvie Naumes, the concrete structure painted to mimic brick has a red tile roof in the Spanish Colonial style, says Ellen Naumes. Over the front door is a stained-glass window that her mother-in-law commissioned to honor her five sons, each represented by a rose, adds Naumes. More than 40 years of marriage, says Naumes, are the impetus for her holiday decorating, which incorporates a variety of heirlooms and collectibles. Nativity scenes, Christmas-themed table settings and other knickknacks will be arranged throughout the house, she says. “I’m a china and crystal nut,” says Naumes, adding that she’s “over-collected.” Among the family’s collection of antiques are several pieces dating to the 1840s, previously owned by Butch Naumes’ great-great-great-grandmother, whose portrait in oil paint presides over the living room. With floor-to-ceiling windows, the space houses a towering Christmas tree. “I like real trees, but I have a fake one,” says Naumes. Authentic Western-themed art by Naumes’ cousin fills the hallway off the front entryway. The “mini art gallery” showcases 10 scenes of nature and Old West life painted at her cousin’s Montana studio, says Naumes, adding that about 20 other canvases also are displayed in her home. Serving as a host on past Holiday Home Tours, Naumes says the event always “gets a little Christmas spirit going.” Home Tour tickets can be purchased in Medford at Essentials Home Decor and the Medford Visitor Center, in Jacksonville at Country Quilts & Crafts, and at Judy’s Florist & Gifts in Central Point and Grants Pass. Raffle tickets also support Soroptimist causes and can be purchased at each of the tour’s homes. Essentials, 114 W. Main St., offers a discount on Christmas items to ticket holders during the tour, and Dancin' Vineyards is a new sponsor in 2017. In addition to providing scholarships, past tours have benefited ACCESS, Community Works’ Dunn House Shelter, Family Nurturing Center, Hearts With a Mission, KidSpree, Wilderness Trails, Magdalene Home, Maslow Project, Rebecca Bender Initiative and Sexual Assault Victims Services.