A Butler holiday tradition continues with the 15th Annual Holiday Tour of Homes on Dec. 11.

This year's event consists of six private residences and St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The circle of tour sites is tighter this year, with four of the stops near downtown Butler, one in Meridian, one Renfrew and another just off Mercer Road.

Light refreshments of cookies and coffee will be served from noon to 4 p.m. at the church.

"Eclectic describes the tour this year with the perfect mixture of old and new construction and a variety of furnishing featured throughout the homes," said Joyce Catt, publicity chairwoman for the tour.

Some of the surprises on the tour include an indoor garden, a hot tub, a one-room school and a beauty shop.

One of the largest homes featured this year is that of Amy and John Merhaut at 130 E. Fulton St., Butler. In fact, their family is soon to grow from seven to eight, and they make perfect use of all the space of this former mayor's house. Their six children range in age from 2 to 10 years old, with a sibling on the way.The family moved into the house in July and has made many major cosmetic changes to the home, much to the delight of their neighbors."We moved here from Gibsonia this summer. We could not find a house in Allegheny County large enough for us, and when we saw this house we knew it would work," Amy Merhaut said.

The couple sold their former house in Gibsonia and had some fun money to work on the new one."We worked on the outside of the house and made some changes. The neighbors started to notice and that is how we got involved with the house tour," Merhaut said.What used to be a white exterior has been changed to tan with fuchsia and dark brown trim, all surrounded by a wooden picket fence.This is the third Victorian home for the Merhauts."We have lived in them before and researched the exterior color schemes because we wanted it to be true to the period," Merhaut said.The family has had to make some adjustments moving from a house with a wooded lot full of trees to the bustle of the city. They have managed to maintain a peaceful, comfortable environment in the home.

Walking up the steps from the entry, one is aware that life and learning are happening in this home. A former den has been outfitted with computers, desks and copious books forming a one-room schoolhouse. The Merhauts home-school their children.The lovely wood flooring was a special surprise."The whole house was carpeted when we bought it and we took all of it up. Some of the rooms had more beautiful wood work than others, but we like the look of wood so we haven't replaced the carpeting," Amy said.An antique school desk complete with space for an ink well was a lucky find from the Wildwood Peddlers Fair and complements the room well.One wall features matching bookcases with glass doors that came with the house."The seller also had some furniture that she was willing to sell and since the house was so large, we did end up purchasing some of her things," Merhaut said.This room also has one of the three fireplaces in the home.

A unique chandelier accentuates the 10-foot ceiling.Exiting the schoolroom, one is thrust into a luscious wooden great room with built-in bookshelves and secret cupboards and compartments. Large glass pane windows flank an assembly of Santa Clauses and snowmen this time of year.Along one wall sits a pew from Merhaut's childhood church, First Presbyterian of Bakerstown."When a new church was being built, they sold their old pews. My father bought the pew and cut it in half and refinished it and gave it to us," she said.A lovely bow window seat on one end of the room is adorned with greens. In front of it stands the family's main Christmas tree, visible from the street outside.Off the great room is the formal dining room, with additional built-in curios. The buffet and dining table are from the previous owner.The ceiling here is of arched plasterwork. The French doors open out onto an enclosed porch.At the base of the wooden spiral staircase is a small powder room. At the top of the staircase is a landing, which normally serves as a reading nook for the children."We usually have pillows up here. It is their favorite place to read with the natural light and always warm with the radiator right there," Amy said.The landing is now the sight of another Christmas tree. On the wall is a charming Advent calendar.Several unique nooks are created in the walls throughout the house, the largest one being on the stairway.To the right of the landing is the lovely master suite. The mantle of the fireplace there is slate with a faux finish that looks like dark marble. The fireplace has unusual ceramic tiles along the front.The blue floral wallpaper picks up the same pattern of the quilt on the bed. A small room is attached to this room where the newest Merhaut will initially sleep.

Across from the master bedroom is the bedroom suite of the eldest of the Merhaut children, Abby, who is 10. The room has fantastic windows to let in natural light.On the way to her private bathroom with shower is a small dressing room and closet. A beautiful antique washstand is in the corner of the dressing room. Her closet is big enough for all of her siblings and a few friends to hide in. The room is done in a lovely pale pink.The princess room of Emily, 7, is across the hall from her big sister's. The hardwood floors and furniture are fit for a princess, including a canopy bed bedecked in pink.Baby Eve's room is the next door and is one of the newer rooms in the house."When we moved in, it was all just exposed drywall. We finished it in tan and green," Amy said. The room has added character with a portion of exposed red brick from a chimney in the corner. Her window overlooks the flagstone patio with a garage, a play set and trampoline just beyond.Up on the third floor are all the Merhaut boys. Leo, who is almost 4, has a peaceful blue and tan room at the top of the steps with a slanted ceiling.In the middle of the third floor is a playroom, which features the children's Christmas tree."We let them decorate it using whatever decorations they choose. It is always an interesting tree," said the mother of six.

Sam, 9, said he wanted a small and comfortable room. His is narrow and elongated and perfect for the Cub Scout who is obviously a fan of the Incredible Hulk. His brother Max, 5, has the largest room. It's done with a burgundy trim.The boys share a bathroom with an old cast-iron tub.Down the back steps is a rather tiny kitchen for such a large family. The 1950s style room is done in gray and boasts all of the modern conveniences - from the 1950s, that is.The house came with a subzero refrigerator which had to be replaced shortly after the Merhauts moved in."The stove, oven and built-in blender were state of the art in their day, we are told," said Merhaut, who almost passed on the house after entering through the kitchen with its gray, shiny Quaker Maid cabinets."I saw the tiny kitchen and said, 'this won't work,' but then after walking through the rest of the house, it practically sold itself," Merhaut said, who had just redone the kitchen in their old house to perfection.

During the exhaustive house search, Abby and her mom were browsing real estate listings on line and came across photos of the home."When I saw the pictures, I got excited and wanted to come look at it right away," Abby said."We got in the car and drove by. When we saw the outside we wrote it off pretty much, but it kept nagging us so we called the Realtor for a tour," Amy Merhaut said.The draw for Victorian homes for Merhaut is their charm and character."I love the character of this house. Each room is so different and beautiful," she said.One of the benefits of moving to the city is lack of driving."It is so great to walk everywhere. I hardly use the van anymore and we are saving money on gas, that is for sure," Merhaut said.The kids also like the many friends they have made.The response of the neighbors has also been a plus for the large family."We have been overwhelmed by the kind neighbors. They were so delighted about the progress that we made, that every day while the work was going on people would stop to comment on it and encourage us," Merhaut said.John Merhaut is in his family business of selling church goods. Their store is on Route 8 south in Gibsonia near other family members."When we first drove up to this house, it seemed like it took forever," Abby said of the trip to Butler. "But when we go to visit family, it really doesn't seem that far."Amy Merhaut said she is thankful for her mother and aunt who have helped her get the house decked for the holidays.And the Butler County Symphony Association is thankful to families like these who open their homes for tours.Harry Savisky, the association's marketing director, said the success of the tour means the continued success of the symphony."This is an important event for the symphony association. We must supplement ticket sales with events such as this because ticket sales bring in only about 42 percent of the income needed to put on the programs such as we have done," he said.With the loss of the Annual Doll Show and Sale, the symphony relies heavily on the annual house tour."We want to keep symphony ticket prices at an affordable level so that as many people as possible are able to come to hear our symphony.

In April, the association will start a new fund-raising event, a lottery based on the three-digit Pennsylvania number drawn at 7 p.m. each day, Savisky said. Lottery tickets will cost $25 and will be available from any board member or at the symphony office.The Symphony Ball is the next event the association will host to raise money. It will be held on Jan. 29 at the Butler Country Club. Anyone wanting an invitation can call the symphony office at 724-283-1402.