MANSFIELD — Terri Herlihy-Clark started putting up her Christmas trees in October.
“I usually start in September,” she said. “This year I got a late start.”
Herlihy-Clark’s home at 170 W. Second Street has nearly 40 Christmas trees on display, plus hundreds of Santa Claus figurines, multiple Christmas villages and even a vintage model train.
Then, she opens her home for community tours so others can experience the magic.
It’s a tradition that dates back to 1987, when her parents Paul and Sharon participated in the Mansfield Symphony Guild’s Home Tour. The home has been featured on several television stations, newspapers and Country Living Magazine.
Herlihy-Clark has continued the tradition since purchasing her childhood home in 2003. She said the memories are what keep her going.
“We actually have watched kids grow up. Now they bring their kids through,” Herlihy-Clark said. “We do it, we might as well share it.”
It’s also a way to remember her own father — an avid Christmas fan — who passed away in 1999.
Paul Herlihy decorated his childhood bedroom for Christmas and found a Christmas store during nearly every family vacation. Family members joked that his second home was Frankenmuth, Michigan, a town famous for its massive holiday decor store.
In the dining room, there’s a tree adorned with ornaments from Paul and Sharon’s 25th wedding anniversary. The couple hosted a party and asked everyone to bring an ornament rather than a gift.
Weekend tours raise funds for scholarship, animal shelters
Nearly every room in the house has a theme. There’s a Disney tree. A Grinch tree. A patriotic tree. A tree dedicated to the family’s Irish heritage. There’s even a tree dedicated to the late Jimmy Buffett.
Naturally, there’s a live, 15-foot tree the extends to the skylight in the foyer.
In the far corner of the family room, there’s a tree with plain white lights, candles and the names of all the deceased the Herlihy Funeral Home has served over the course of the year.
Every year, Herlihy-Clark hosts a memorial service for their families, followed by a private tour of the home.
“They like it because the service isn’t in a church that they may not belong to. It’s not at the funeral home where their loved one was last at,” she said. “It’s kind of nice to have it at a different place.”
This year’s Herlihy Christmas Open House takes place Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m. The family asks for a minimum donation of $2 per person.
Herlihy-Clark said the family typically raises a few thousand dollars each year. The funds are donated to local animal shelters and a scholarship fund in Paul’s name through the Miss Ohio organization.
Private tours are also available upon request for groups of 20 or more. For more information, call Herlihy-Clark at 419-544-9863 or email terri52270@gmail.com
