Envelope Please! And the Tinley Park Patch 'Deck the House' Finalist is ...

The first set of finalists for our nationwide Deck the House contest are in and—brace yourself—one of our  homes has made the cut!

Before I announce the resident who will move on in the competition, I'd like to thank all three of you who submitted photos to our contest.

Knowing that you tried your hand at winning $100,000 for our local schools should mean the world to your fellow community members. Not to mention the fact that you made our dark drives home more festive and "oooh-worthy" this holiday season. Thank you.

And now, for our village's winner. Drum roll ................

Congratulations, Valerie Keefe! You're the  finalist! 

Tonight we'll find out if you are among the 24 finalists—fingers crossed. Each Top 24 winner is guaranteed $500 to help pay those holiday-sized electric bills and a shot at winning $100,000 for their school district.

Even if you don't make next cut, Valerie, I'm going to make sure you get some Patchtastic shwag for being named our local winner (psst, check your e-mail!)

Now, back to business. National voting begins today, Friday, Dec. 30, at 8 a.m.

Vote once a day, every day, for your favorite — and feel free to share the link on all your social networks! 

Voting ends at 11 p.m. Jan. 8.

Good luck!

If you haven't already, check out our 2011 Holiday Guide.