The Annual Holiday Light Contest Now that my family is geographically disbursed I try to recruit friends to participate in the traditions my family held dear. Surprisingly, given the theme of the season, several of those traditions adhered more to the Olympic than the holiday spirit. None was more competitive than the annual Christmas light competition. Every year in the week or so before Christmas, my family piled into our father's sedan and set out to judge the light displays of our neighbors. Our definition of neighbors included those who lived within a fairly wide radius. It had to. Our street wasn't really known for its Christmas extravaganzas. At any rate, we would set out in search of winners in several categories most of which were made up as we cruised the area. Best use of a plastic snowman in a nativity scene. Most innovative integration of household pets in a Christmas montage. Largest employer of displaced reindeer in a class C area (under 30 square feet). Our awards honored the effort, no how misguided, made in an attempt to make the holidays happier for all of us. So it was with deep appreciation that we named the following winners. Most Tasteful Light Display (White Lights) Most Tasteful Light Display (Color Lights) Gaudiest Light Diplay (Color Lights) Gaudiest Light Display (White Lights) (We never did award this prize. White light people appear to possess an inherent restraint that bars them from true competition in the Gaudiest category.) Best Blue Light Display (We awarded this prize simply because there was a very lovely house outlined in blue lights that didn't fall into any other category. We made sure to ride by every year.) Tackiest Montage Best Roofline Highest Consumption of Electricity in a Christmas Scene (House Only) Highest Consumption of Electricity in a Christmas Scene (House and Lawn) Most Realistic Nativity Scene Best Use of Santa Claus (with or without reindeer) Best Use of Chimney Most Detailed Outline in Lights Most Erratic Flashing Sequence Best Fence Ornamentation Best Front Door (Spotlighted) Best Front Door (Unspotlighted) This list could get quite long especially given recent advances in holiday decorations. Don't feel obligated to award each prize each year. No need to let the annual holiday light competition add to your seasonal stress. (To make your schedule simpler consider moving repeat winners into your Christmas Light Hall of Fame.) The point is to get out there and enjoy the lights. Your neighbors have taken the trouble to adorn their houses for the holiday season. Don't just limit your enjoyment to the displays you happen to pass. Get out there and look for extravagant displays. Admire them. Reward them. You might even let the winners know that they have been honored. My family never actually got around to notifying the winners. By the time all the prizes were awarded, we were really too hungry to stick around for a presentation. We had to get home to eat and to collect our own prize. Most Subtle Light Display. What other prize could a house with two red candles in the window expect to win? |
