By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Randolph Whitely is busy getting his home ready for this year’s annual Christmas Home Tour to benefit Marion City Library. He has his work cut out for him.

The family practitioner with an interest in carpentry has been renovating his house on Freeborn St. since he bought it a year and a half ago.

He has replaced ceilings, redone flooring, added an electrical fireplace, and finished many other projects in the house he describes as “a fixer-upper.” He’s even put in a new driveway.

“My theme will be Christmas at the tree farm,” Whitely said.

When preparation is done, the house will be filled with Christmas trees large and small, on tables, on the floor, everywhere imaginable — even along the driveway. A train will run along a ledge surrounding the living room.

Because renovation on the house itself is not completed, the tour will include the foyer, living room, and dining room.

Whitely has help getting the house ready. His mother, who lives in Derby, will decorate Christmas trees for the table, his daughters, Cynthia and Manda, his sister, Jane, will also help with the decoration, and so will a group of staff members at St. Luke Hospital. A family friend, now wielding a paintbrush on walls, will help with the final decoration, too.

Whitely said he plans to have a contest, such as “count the number of Christmas trees.”

Four homes will open for tours this year. Chris and Paige Costello, Doug and Lori Heerey, and Stan and Karen Williams will also host tours of their homes.

Tickets for the Dec. 8 home tour are $5 each and go on sale Monday at the library.