Litzenberg Holiday House Tour mixes festive spectacle with charity
CONCORD TWP — The glow from Mike Camerot and Kirby Litzenberg’s home can be seen before visitors enter the driveway.
It’s easy to understand how after stepping inside and seeing that every room, hallway and corner is filled to the brim with dazzling Christmas trees.
For the last eight years, the pair has opened their home for the Litzenberg Annual Holiday House Tour, where admission isn’t a ticket price, but instead an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.
“It started when we were asked to be on the Butler Symphony Tour about 10 years ago,” Camerot said. “Every year I’d put up more trees — first 50, then more — and we were just sitting around looking at them and came up with the idea to do Toys for Tots. So we just ran with it.”
Throughout every weekend in December, hundreds of guests flock to the estate to gaze upon more than 250 decorated Christmas trees, each one lit up with its own personality and story.
While it has become a holiday tradition for many, the spectacle has also created heartwarming memories for those in need.
Last year, more than 1,700 toys were collected weekly and distributed throughout the holiday season, Camerot said.
The ones donated after Christmas are stored at Clearview Mall until the following year. Some are even used throughout the year to help families after house fires and other emergencies.
“We didn’t want to charge people a fee,” Camerot said. “We just wanted to do something for the community just to bring cheer and enjoyment. There’s so many people that have come through and said that this puts them in the Christmas spirit and the holiday mood.”
The Christmas magic, however, doesn’t happen overnight.
After Halloween, Camerot, Litzenberg and a few friends begin packing up decorations before bringing out trees, ornaments and lights. The next month is spent decorating all of the artificial trees, while the only living tree — a towering 22-foot pine — typically arrives the day after Thanksgiving.
By the time the first weekend tour opens three days later, every room bursts with seasonal flair.
Much like the guests, the trees themselves have come from everywhere, including flea markets, yard sales and even donations left in Camerot’s driveway.
“People have started dropping them off in our driveway now,” he said with a laugh. “I just keep collecting more and more trees.”
What began as a short weekend display has turned into a month-long tradition, with tours running from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Families have started to return year after year, some of them making it their official kickoff to the holiday season.
“We recognize them now,” Camerot said. “They’ve made it their family tradition. One year, Christmas Eve fell on a tour night and families came in their pajamas.”
The sense of wonder hasn’t worn off, either.
“I never thought it would get this big,” Camerot said. “It just keeps growing and growing.”
