Here are two timely choices for the holiday season.

Either get the house decorated early for Christmas so there’s time to gather up friends for a lovely afternoon of touring beautiful homes, humming fa la la the entire time or put off dragging the tree out of the attic until beautiful homes have been toured, thus being inspired to channel an inner Martha Stewart.

Whatever the choice, the Southlake Holiday Home Tour awaits you. It’s set for noon to 5 p.m., Dec. 8. 

For those over-achievers who have their homes decorated, presents wrapped and cards sent, the tour of four multi-million-dollar homes adorned in magazine-worthy style should serve as a day to enjoy the holidays transporting you into a Hallmark movie. And for those who need motivation to get on with the thousands of tasks at hand, this parade of pretty palaces should kick the decorating procrastinators into overdrive and spark a creative streak.

Either way, the tour, which benefits two nonprofits, should be enjoyable, and the houses promise to be wow-worthy.

“They’re all going to be drop-dead gorgeous,” says realtor Roxann Taylor, whose Engel & Völkers brokerage sponsors the event. “People just like to see beautiful houses, and seeing them decorated for Christmas is even better.”

Exactly which four Southlake homes on view will remain a secret until the week of the tour.

“Three of them are private houses where they decorate their homes to the nth degree,” Taylor says. “The fourth is new construction that the builder is allowing us to decorate.”

Proceeds will be split between Special Olympics Texas and The Gifting Project Southlake. Special Olympics Texas provides athletic training and competition in Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The Gifting Project, a volunteer-led organization, provides gifts for children in Northeast Tarrant County. 

“People are nuts over Christmas,” Taylor says. “This will help you to get into the holiday spirit and see what other people are doing to get into the holiday spirit. It just makes you feel good.”

So, feel good … by either enjoying the holiday festivities or becoming motivated to get it done.

Tour tickets, priced at $40 per person, are available at eventcreate.com/e/engel-volkers-southlake-hht-2024.