REAL ESTATE

Home for the holiday: This Victor mansion has 5 Christmas trees and decorations everywhere

Mary Chao
Democrat and Chronicle

Christmas is reunion time for the Smith family.

It's when Kris and Bill Smith prepare to welcome home their four children and their significant others, their three grandchildren, and parents and siblings for a grand dinner for more than 20 people.

The family's 8,900-square-foot home in the hamlet of Fishers, town of Victor, Ontario County, is perfectly decorated for the holidays. The Smiths don't host the family Thanksgiving dinner, so they focus on making Christmas extra special.

As soon as Halloween passes, Kris pulls out the Christmas village decor with scenes of carolers and homes, setting the scene by the window sill in the dining room. By mid-November, the rest of the home is decorated, with staffers from Wisteria Flowers & Gifts in Rochester working on the boxes of decor, collectibles and trees to create a holiday wonderland.

"They're like Santa's elves," Kris said of Wisteria's helpers.

Kris and Bill Smith go back a long way with Wisteria, since Rita Freling opened a small floral shop. (It's now in its second generation, with Jennifer Freling Ralph at the helm at 360 Culver Road in Rochester.

The couple custom-built their home a decade ago on 10 acres that include a man-made hill, a waterfall and a pond. A resident goose on the pond squawks at visitors. The goose had been hit by a car, and a neighbor nursed it back to health. But it can no longer fly, so Bill built a straw house for the goose by the pond.

Bill is the owner and founder of Heritage Packing, a manufacturer of protective packaging, bio-shield and industrial plastic liners for industries as varied as defense and funeral. The company has 55 full-time employees.

The front entrance shows a grand stairway along with the dining room on the right and the kitchen straight ahead.

Bill and Kris Smith, celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary this year. Both grew up in Pittsford and graduated from the State University College at Oswego. Both intended to pursue careers as teachers. Kris did teach for a few years while Bill decided to go down an entrepreneurial path, founding what is now Heritage Packaging in 1990, originally named W. Stuart Smith Inc.     

The family settled in Fairport as they were raising their four children. When the kids were grown and flown, and as the business has grown, the couple decided to build their estate. They chose Victor because the area is secluded and yet close to amenities in town. Their estate is right near Paychex founder Tom Golisano's home. 

The couple admired the historic homes of yesteryear but wanted the embellished touch. The home may be new construction, but it is filled with details such as ceiling medallions and moldings throughout. A spectacular spiral staircase wrapped in holiday faux pine and ribbons greets visitors as they enter.

Light blue is the theme. It's Kris' favorite color, and it can be found throughout the home — from furnishings and the dining room down to the holiday ornaments.

There are five Christmas trees throughout the home. This is the first year that all the trees in the home are faux. The family keeps the decorations up for a six-week period, so the real trees often didn't hold up.

Each tree is decorated by the Wisteria team. The flocked tree in the dining room features blue, silver and gold ornaments with faux lamb's ear plants tucked in. The main tree in the family room area resembles a floral arrangement, with a flowering topper highlighted by blue ornaments. 

Kris collects Santa figurines, and there are many sets of Santas throughout the home. Large, wooden nutcrackers also highlight the decor.

The house includes a side entrance and a small additional garage along the side of the home.

There are little touches such as the cake platter dressed as tablescape at the breakfast area. It's dressed with dangling jewels and wrapped in blue ribbon sitting on a silver-beaded table mat.

The first floor of the home is magazine-worthy, as it's professionally decorated, but the family wanted to have a space just for the family. The lower level is an area where the family can relax and enjoy all the memories over the course of their lives. The tree in the lower level is filled with family ornaments collected through the decades.

The lower level is sparsely furnished. Instead, it has wide-open space "so the kids can run and scoot around," Kris said.

MCHAO@Gannett.com