Durango Designer Offers September Checklist for Texas Homeowners with Colorado Mountain Retreats

Thousands of Texas families own vacation homes in Southwest Colorado. Is yours ready for December?

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — For many, owning a mountain home means trading Dallas heat or Austin summers for aspen groves and snow-capped views. But managing one from a few hundred miles away comes with its own unwritten rules, as Durango holiday designer Lorrie Boone learned firsthand. Her first December there, she arrived to a dark house, an empty fridge, and family coming in less than a week — with no time left to make the home feel the way she’d pictured.

“It was pretty,” Boone says. “It just wasn’t the “Wow” I had in my head. Between decorating, cooking, and hosting, I was exhausted before the season even started.”

It’s a specific kind of tired that a lot of vacation and second-home owners know well — the gap between how you pictured the holidays and how much time you actually have to make it happen once you get here. Boone has spent the years since figuring out how to close that gap, sharing what she’s learned in a new post for her blog series, Life Lessons of a Durango Homeowner.

“I’m not trying to make it sound complicated,” Boone says. “I’m trying to save someone else the year I had.”

Much of what she’s learned came the hard way — including from her older sister, also a Texan with a mountain home of her own. Jeannie — Boone’s “Martha Stewart sister” who makes entertaining look easy — taught her a trick that changed how she handles a house full of guests: freezing meals ahead of any trip, so the first few days are about being together instead of standing over a stove. Boone also learned, quite by accident, that a dryer that won’t dry properly might mean a mouse has nested in the vent — a discovery she and her husband Randy made on one visit to their home.

Small steps like these offer real peace of mind: protecting outdoor faucets before the first freeze, sealing up the gaps mice look for once it turns cold, knowing how far ahead to book a family-favorite holiday train ride before the good dates & seats disappear. Even hiring a professional to have the whole home ready before you arrive — Boone’s own specialty — has a real deadline. Most designers are booked solid by fall.

Boone recommends Royal Gold Cleaning Co. for arrival-ready homes — Michelle Hill’s work is well known among Durango Mountain Club members and other luxury clients in the area. “I love pointing people toward businesses I believe in,” Boone says, “especially women-owned ones doing excellent work in this community.”

For homeowners who’d rather hand off the whole list, Boone points to Nicole Byrum of Elevation Home Management, which serves dozens of luxury vacation and second homes throughout the Durango area. “There’s nothing like a holiday design service in Durango,” Byrum says. “I’ve put up a tree myself more than once, just because there was no one else to call.” Those recommendations, and a few more Boone has collected over the years, are all in the full post.

“None of it is complicated on its own,” Boone says. “But together, it’s the difference between walking in feeling like you’ve arrived ready to relax — and walking in and immediately starting a to-do list. This is the place you escape to. You want that short window to feel warm and extraordinary, especially with the people you love most.”

It’s the same instinct that led her to open Durango Holiday Home, her holiday design studio — she knows what it’s like to want the beautiful version of the holidays without the time to pull it off alone.

The full September checklist is at durangoholidayhome.com/blog, along with the rest of the Life Lessons of a Durango Homeowner series.
If you’re interested in talking to Lorrie about mountain homeownership or holiday planning, feel free to reach out to the contact info on www.durangoholidayhome.com.

About Durango Holiday Home
Durango Holiday Home is a premium seasonal décor studio founded by designer Lorrie Boone, providing Christmas decorating services in Durango and Southwest Colorado to private homeowners and vacation property owners. Lorrie brings more than 12 years of experience creating custom holiday décor for residential homeowners and private clubs, including multi-year work at the Birmingham Country Club in metropolitan Detroit.
Contact: Lorrie Boone | 970-844-4850 | info@durangoholidayhome.com | www.durangoholidayhome.com
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Lorrie Boone
Durango Holiday Home
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