Crescent Hills Holiday House Tour supports Penn Hills park
Grace Edwardo was on a holiday house tour in Oakmont in 2022. She recalled one home where the kitchen was transformed into the children’s game Candyland.
“The decorations were all red and white, like peppermint star candies,” said Edwardo. “The kitchen table was set up with red and white dinnerware, and the island had a display of candies. I never really thought about having a theme in a kitchen before, and it was truly enchanting. It was bright and cheerful.”
Edwardo hopes to inspire others who walk through the home she shares with her husband Brian for the annual Crescent Hills Holiday House Tour.
She’s chairing the event from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 10 hosted by the Crescent Hills Civic Association, which was founded in 1935.
Proceeds support the maintenance of Crescent Hills Park, which the civic association owns. It offers community events each year including this tour, concerts in the park, yard sales, Easter egg hunts in the park, a spring plant sale, picnics and a Martin Luther King Day luncheon, as well as other social events.
This area of Penn Hills encompasses more than 600 residences.
Houses on the tour include a cape cod, colonial and one of the oldest in the neighborhood, built in 1937. Refreshments will be served along the way. There will be one house hosting a bake sale and vendors at Steel Goat Marketplace on Jefferson Road.
“The vendors in our market are your neighbors and friends,” said Darcy Kennedy of Steel Goat Marketplace. “By shopping local, you are supporting the community. It means so much to be included.”
Owners have preserved the history and character of the homes, keeping details such as hardwood floors and original fireplaces while updating kitchens and bathrooms and adding on decks.
“Residents of Crescent Hills graciously open their doors to showcase their charming holiday decorations, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the warmth and cheer of the festivities,” Edwardo said. “From traditional to modern, each home offers a unique glimpse into the holiday magic. This is a joyous occasion to celebrate the holiday season and contribute to the well-being of our community.”
She said she wanted to be more involved in the civic association and this was the perfect way to contribute. Edwardo is a do-it-yourself person — she designed house number wreath signs for each home on the tour using a wreath form, pine garland, and wood. She added glitter vinyl.
Some of her ideas come from other tours and magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens and Real Simple.
The couple has a display case in the entryway, which features their “Star Wars” Lego collection. Nearby in the sitting room, there is a fireplace and an area where a “Harry Potter” Hogwarts train will be displayed.
Edwardo said she plans to have five holiday trees — one real and four artificial. One will have ornaments collected over the years documenting their travels, another will be peacock-themed.
In addition to her mother’s needlework creations and one painting, she has her mother’s nativity, a cherished decoration.
“The nativity collection was something she added to almost every year,” Edwardo said. “It’s classic like my mom and tells a beautiful story.”
The home on McCurdy, built in 1968, has an open floor plan on the first level with a spacious kitchen from where you can access the deck.
On the second floor, Edwardo has a ceramic-lit tree at the top of the steps and a slender tree in the primary bedroom. She has a room dedicated to her crafts and one room is an office.
She likes to decorate with snowmen and other winter details, which she can keep up after the holiday season for a festive look until spring.
The front of the house is decorated with LED lights that have a remote to change colors as the holidays change, such as orange for Halloween and red and green for Christmas. Edwardo said the house tour invites people to wander through beautifully adorned homes, capturing the essence of the holiday season, which is one of the things she loves to do.
“I am a nebby person, which is why I like going into other people’s houses,” she said. “I like to see how people decorate and remodel. I truly enjoy meeting people and learning about them. A house tour is a little peek into a person’s life and you will almost always discover something unique that you wouldn’t know just from casual conversation.”
Tickets are $22 and available on Eventbrite as well as the day of the event at the First Reformed Presbyterian Church, 12900 Frankstown Road beginning at 12:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold until 3 p.m.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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