Surdyke Christmas Story

Ginger Surdyke loves to decorate for Halloween and Christmas. And although she doesn’t have a set date to begin the transition from pumpkins to sugar plums, the entire home is decorated for the holidays complete with four Christmas trees. Of course, she doesn’t do all of the decorating by herself—she has the help of her four daughters: Kylie, 18; Kendal, 16; Mackenna, 14; and Marah, 6.
Ginger and her husband Greg moved to the Lake in 1997 from Festus, Missouri, and started their business, Surdyke Yamaha. They bought a house, but a few years later decided to build. They bought two lots just down the road on the same street. The couple found the blueprints for their Tuscan-style home on the internet, and with the help of KNS Development, they built their dream home.
The exterior of the house is cultured stone with cedar trim and red brick accents. The plank-style alder double doors, highlighted with matching peep holes, open into a magnificent entrance hall with an 18-foot barrel ceiling and a balcony. Flanking the hallway are the formal dining room and the library. Ginger did all of the specialized painting throughout the house. In the dining room, she painted the hand-textured walls a dark golden tone, then applied a stain. The resulting color highlights the Old World oak table and high-back upholstered chairs. The dining room also features a coffered ceiling with double crown molding. The library is bright and cheery thanks to the large front window. The room has a wall of custom-built pine bookshelves that reach to the ceiling. A rolling ladder is attached to an oil-rubbed bronze bar that runs the length of the shelves.

The foyer opens into the “grand” room, which has a 30-foot vaulted ceiling. The cultured stone fireplace and massive stone wall accent the high ceiling. Ginger decorates the mantel each year with the family’s Christmas stockings, and she leans a mirro—reminiscent of the Gothic era—against the stone. The “formal” Christmas tree stands to the left of the fireplace. The ladies of the home place elegant ornaments on the tree, including golden glass balls and burgundy velvet ribbons.
The open floor plan of the kitchen, informal eating area and hearth room allow for entertaining guests while preparing a meal. The three areas are defined by archways. Brick pavers cover the floor of the kitchen and informal eating area, and the walls were hand-troweled. Then Ginger painted and stained them a Tuscan Old World yellow. She has a food-prep island and a separate long bar that seats six. Each features a granite countertop and boxcar siding. A stone alcove holds the stove. All of the appliances are stainless steel. Off the kitchen are a wet bar and a half-bath, as well as the pantry and the laundry room. The half bath has an Old World flair, with a textured half-wall separating the vanity from the toilet. The hearth room was once called the “man room.” That was before the couple finished the base- ment area for Greg. The family now refers to it as the “red” room because of the deep red color on the walls. It has a vaulted, beamed ceiling with a large, stone, gas fireplace. Ginger had to remove the deer head from the stone wall to place a large Christmas wreath. Her collection of crosses covers one side of the fireplace, and on the other side hangs a stuffed wild turkey.

“It was a 25-pounder,” Greg says. “It’s in the top five of my birds harvested. He adds that he’s proud that all the turkeys he has harvested were taken by using vocal calls as opposed to artificial calling devices. During the holidays, Ginger and her daughters put a 12-foot-tall tree in the corner and decorate it with a “woodsy” theme. The tree is loaded with pine cones, cinnamon sticks and wooden ornaments. Also on the main floor is the master suite, with its own sitting room and gas fireplace. Ginger applied a light taupe-color paint to the walls of the large bathroom, then stained the walls and completed the look with a third application using a faux pearl finish. Leading up from the grand room is an open staircase with a balcony where the Surdyke daughters put up their tree. The frilly Christmas tree is wrapped in pink ribbons and hung with fuchsia and cobalt-blue boa feather balls and brightly colored snowflakes.

The upper level of the home is the daughters’ domain. Mackenna and Marah share a large suite consisting of an oversize bedroom area, a bathroom and a sitting room, which for now is a play-room filled with dolls and toys. Kendal’s neat and tidy bedroom is a trendy aqua blue. The room features a wicker day bed with a trundle for overnighters, and a mint-green Jack-and-Jill bathroom. The large lavender dormer loft is empty at present because Kylie has “left the nest” and is a freshman at Missouri State University in Springfield. The upper floor also has a guest room and a laundry room. On the balcony overlooking the grand room is an electric Baldwin piano which all of the girls can play. Marah, the youngest, just started taking lessons. The lowest level of the home is highlighted by the newly finished “sports” bar where the lone male in the family can watch one or both of the TVs, or play foosball or shuffleboard. A hanging wall fountain at the bottom of the stairs welcomes guests. Along one wall is a sitting area with leather furniture and a long paneled wood shelf that holds several of Greg’s motorcycle-racing trophies. The bar area features stone arches and a hand-scraped alder countertop. Inserted into a stone wall is a wine rack made of stained pine boxes set on an angle. Another wall is covered with “klinkers,” or brick pavers. A small alcove in the wall frames the family popcorn popper. Ginger painted the hallway and bathroom, mixing several colors to achieve the look she wanted. During the holidays, Ginger and the girls put up a small tree near the fireplace. They decorate it with the traditional Christmas colors using peppermints and candies.

Off the family room is the “dance” room. All of the daughters are dancers, and Ginger had the room built so the girls would have a place to practice. There is a floor-to-ceiling mirror stretching 20 feet along one wall (where occasionally Greg will practice his golf swing). The floor is suspended from the concrete and covered with black marley, a material used in dance studios. Along the back of the room is a closet filled with hundreds of costumes. “The girls use some of the costumes for Halloween,” Ginger says.
The Surdykes like their water, too. Off the lower level is a hot tub, and outside on the main level is a large wraparound deck with three seating areas and an outdoor fireplace. Two years ago, Greg and Ginger added a pool in the backyard. The 20- by 40-foot sport pool is framed with stamped concrete. The Roman-shaped pool is shallow at both ends and is only 5 feet deep in the middle.

“We did this so we could play volleyball and other water games and enjoy the pool more,” Ginger says. The heated saltwater pool features built-in seating that curves around the shape. “We like to use it early in the season and late in the year,” Ginger says. There is a cedar pergola off to the side which gives some shade from the sun. Lounging by the pool will be just a memory when Ginger begins this year’s holiday decorating. “We usually don’t start until after Thanksgiving,” she says. In addition to trimming the trees, Ginger spreads the Christmas magic throughout the house with holiday touches—a little different each year. “The girls and I usually buy a few new ornaments every year,” Ginger says.

While the females are busy inside, Greg is the main man for outdoor lighting. One year the neighborhood held a decorating contest. The Surdykes went Griswold, as in the movie Christmas Vacation, and won. “We even had a generator and did the entire yard—all four sides,” Ginger says. They still decorate the yard, she says, but not to that extent. Other holiday traditions include the girls talking their parents into opening a gift or two before the Big Day. The family opens the gifts from one another on Christmas Eve and then go to Midnight Mass.

Santa arrives on Christmas morning. Most years, the family travels Christmas Day to Greg’s parents’ home in Festus, where most of his nine siblings—along with spouses and children — have all gathered. Ginger’s family is much smaller, and they celebrate the holiday with them the week before. And almost every year they go on a family trip. “We ski or go to St. Croix, someplace that is either really warm or cold,” Ginger says. We try to get a break together this time of year.

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