Forest Hills Tree Wins First-Ever Western Springs Christmas Tree Competition

For the first time in about 20 years, Western Springs will have an official Christmas Tree. For the first time in memory—likely the first time ever—it will come from a Village family and be installed beneath the historic Water Tower on Tower Green.

The winners of the contest to be the first to have a tree from their yard lit up in splendor in the heart of Western Springs are the Perona family, of the 5200 block of Grand Avenue in Forest Hills. Their 34-year-old, 40-foot blue spruce is already set up on the Green, and, as of Thursday, decked out in the colorful lights that will be illuminated on December 3^rd at the Christmas Walk.

The contest was inspired by the Spangler family’s bids—unsuccessful in 2010, —to have their own (somewhat taller) blue spruce .

“This year it came around, and we thought, we should really do that,” said Municipal Services Coordinator Casey Biernacki. “It helps out the Village; it makes residents happy; it makes us happy.

“There are a lot of people around town who are trying to get rid of their spruce and pine trees. It’s a free tree for us, and a free removal for them. It’s win-win.”

Back in the ‘80s, the Village used to purchase a tree from a farm and decorate it in front of Village Hall; then, for the past two decades, the Village has gone with lighting up an existing tree on —but storms and disease finally ended that this year.

About a dozen Village trees were submitted in the contest, and were narrowed down to . The Peronas were a late entry, but the tree, which mom Lena Perona called “perfectly-shaped,” proved impossible to resist.

“It’s a win-win thing,” Lena said. “I didn’t want the tree to come down, but I’m ecstatic that someone else is getting use out of it. It’s a great thing for everyone.”

The Peronas had actually planned to have the tree taken down earlier this year. “It was growing all over the driveway, over the roof and into the walls of the house,” said Lena’s husband, Tom Perona. “It enveloped our basketball hoop and was basically blocking the left side of our little basketball court.”

“We’ve lost a couple of basketballs up there, more than twice,” added McClure student Robert Perona, 13, with a laugh.

What spared the tree back in the spring was a cardinal’s nest, which the Peronas couldn’t bear to disturb, even as the spruce branches scraped their cars while pulling out of the garage. (“They’re so gorgeous,” said Lena of the birds. “We could hear them sing right outside the window.”)

Now, in part thanks to those cardinals, the tree is prepared for its December glory in Technicolor.

The spruce has been lit up before. The Peronas used to do it every year, with up to a thousand lights—until the upper branches grew too high to reach even with a ladder and a long stick.

“It’s kind of sad that it’s gone, because it’s been there all my life,” said Robert. “But it’s pretty cool seeing it in town.”

Plus, it’s shaping up to be the inaugural of a new Western Springs annual tradition.

“If there’s ever a plaque, we’ll be on the top,” joked Tom. “I think it’s pretty cool."