Hartford - Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and first lady Cathy Malloy are inviting Connecticut residents to attend the annual holiday open house of the Governor's Residence, 990 Prospect Ave., Hartford, which will be decorated for the season and open to the public for tours.

Tour dates are: Friday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. There is no admittance fee and tickets are not needed.

The Connecticut National Guard will be accepting charitable donations for Operation ELF, an annual initiative of the Connecticut National Guard that assists the families of soldiers and airmen who are deployed during the holidays and provides a wide range of support to military families throughout the year.

In addition to monetary donations, suggested donations include grocery store gift cards, gas gift cards, department store gift cards, and gift cards for home essential services, such as heating oil, maintenance services, and snow removal.

Tours will be aided by about 30 volunteer docents, some of whom have volunteered for over 20 years.

The residence, which is ADA accessible, will display six decorated Christmas trees, in addition to other holiday decorations.

For more information, email Carol.Oshea@ct.gov or call (860) 524-7355.