Holiday decorating contest win is bittersweet for Burbank homeowners

For more than 30 years, the Pape family has decorated the front lawn of their Burbank home during the holidays to help spread cheer to their neighbors and the community.

On Friday, the Burbank Civic Pride Committee announced its winners of this year’s holiday decorating contest, with the Papes winning in the residential category and the Color Lounge salon taking the top spot in the commercial category. George Wyatt, 11, who won in the youth category for the Halloween decorating contest this year, won in the same category in the holiday contest.

Although the Pape family notched their second victory in the holiday contest — the first success occurring in 2001 — this year’s win was bittersweet for them.

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Burbank native Ed Pape Jr., who would have turned 47 years old on Christmas, passed away on Dec. 10 after his aorta ruptured the day after Thanksgiving.

His father, Ed Pape, who is also born and raised in Burbank, said it was because of his son that the family started decorating their frontyard. And even after his son, a captain with the Los Angeles Police Department, moved out of Burbank, the two would work together on the decorations.

“This time of the year was his happiest time,” Ed Pape said. “He was born on Christmas Day. He loved Christmas, loved doing the decorations and everything else. He helped me bring a lot of smiles to everyone’s faces.”

Sometime before Thanksgiving, Ed Pape Jr. was helping his father put up the lights around the house and noticed that the curb area in front of the house could use some additional decorations.

Ed Pape said that his son told him that he would give him one of two candy-cane lanterns he had made to put in front of his house. Ed Pape jokingly asked his son why he was not getting both.

After reflecting on the question, Ed Pape Jr. decided to give both the candy canes to his father and make new ones for himself next year.

“So he gave them both to me and they’re out there on the curb area,” Ed Pape said. “The last thing [he] and I did together was put those up and that was on Thanksgiving. The next night, his aorta ruptured and [we] never spoke since.”

Before his son’s passing, Ed Pape had about a third of the decorations put up on his front lawn, but was questioning whether he should even put up decorations this year at all. After his son died, it took a lot of convincing by his wife’s cousin to motivate him to finish putting up the decorations.

At the last second, Ed Pape decided to enter his name in the decorating contest, not because he wanted to win, but to honor his son, whose funeral was on Tuesday.

“I know he wanted me to, and the win was just icing on the cake,” he said. “I know he’s looking down on me, and know that he’s proud of me for getting it done.”

To see all of the entrants and winners in this year’s holiday decorating contest, visit burbankca.gov/home/showdocument?id=38972.

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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio