Take several beautifully-decorated homes in the Eastmoreland neighborhood in Southeast Portland. Throw in some fun gift shopping while raising money for a good cause. What do you have? The 30th ANNUAL DUNIWAY HOLIDAY HOME TOUR. The tour includes a ride on an historic trolley as it rolls down the tree-lined streets of Eastmoreland, stopping at each home on the holiday tour and the tour’s boutique. The event raises funds that will benefit Duniway Elementary School, as does the boutique, with items by local artists and merchants. During the LA GRANDE ROTARY HOLIDAY HOME TOUR, eight houses or businesses in the La Grande area will be dressed up for the holidays. A variety of architectural styles will be represented on the self-guided car tour.

Do strands and strands of Christmas lights give you a warm and fuzzy feeling? Head for PEACOCK LANE, a street in Southeast Portland renowned for the homeowners who live on it, who spend hours and hours gussying up their houses each holiday season for drivers-by and passersby alike to enjoy. The houses, mostly English Tudors, are adorned with sparkling lights and the front yards are filled with nativity scenes, rotating Christmas trees and replicas of Santa and Frosty. A popular event (expect happy crowds), the decorations are best enjoyed on foot.

Home décor, arts and crafts, gourmet food, unique gift items, wines to taste, elegant holiday displays, Santa and a festive atmosphere are just some of what you’ll find at the ANNUAL HOLIDAY FOOD AND GIFT FESTIVALS. The fests will be held in Portland, Eugene, and Redmond.

Blacksmiths started out making all of the door hardware in the U.S., then lock and latch makers and specialized manufacturers took over the business of churning out doorknobs, doorplates, latches and locks. When the traveling salesmen came along, they carried with them the best examples of these manufacturers’ offerings. The SALESMEN SAMPLES: VERY PORTABLE HARDWARE exhibit includes rare hardware samples, mounted hardware store displays and advertising souvenirs.

Curated by former ID magazine editor Steven Skov Holt and art historian Mara Holt Skov, the exhibit MANUF®ACTURED: THE CONSPICUOUS TRANSFORMATION OF EVERYDAY OBJECTS includes new works made from mass-produced objects and materials, including a dress made from one continuous zipper and towers crafted from polystyrene. This is a great opportunity to think about the more serious issues of overabundance, appropriation and reuse. Some of the artists’ work will be for sale.

The American Foursquare, one of Portland’s most notable historic house styles, was popular from around 1900 until well into the 1930s. Today it’s found in every older neighborhood in Portland. To find out more about this popular house style, check out FOURSQUARE HOMES: QUINTESSENTIAL PORTLAND ARCHITECTURE, a presentation by architectural historian Jack Bookwalter, who will show what constitutes a Foursquare, including its ornamental details and hybrids.

Shelter is one of our most basic human needs, both physically and psychologically. We seek shelter from the elements, from the storm, from harm. SHELTER, a national juried exhibition of contemporary photography, shows how shelter can be interpreted visually in all its manifestations.

Every December, the Community Cycling Center distributes refurbished bikes, new helmets and bike-safety education to children in low-income families via its Holiday Bike drive. The program serves 3- to 9-year-olds enrolled by a school, church or family service agency in the program. For most of the children who receive a bike, it’s the first bike they’ve ever owned. You can help by donating a bike you no longer need.