Annual decorating contest offers more than just fun and lights;
you can nab cash rewards
Gilroy – The holiday spirit first crept onto Georgina Chuck’s front lawn about seven years ago, to the delight of her grandchildren.
Chuck started with a home-made, life-sized Santa Claus and a Christmas tree on her porch. In the following years, she added Mrs. Claus, snowmen and a 20-foot Christmas tree made of lights to her lawn at 6595 Monterey St.
The family is upping the ante again this year as they prepare to enter the 2006 Holiday Home Decorating Contest. Winners will take home $100 for first place, $75 for second or $50 for third. But Chuck is not concerned about a top prize.
“We enter the contest so we get on the map,” Chuck said. “You love doing it, but you also like people to see it.”
Each year, as part of the contest, the Dispatch publishes a holiday lights map to help locals navigate their way to the best-decorated homes in the city.
On Tuesday evening, Chuck and her grand-children, 11-year-old Mikey and 9-year-old Jack, were putting the finishing touches on the holiday display, which now includes a wooden carriage bearing home-made Christmas carolers.
“We keep adding each year,” Chuck said, “but to me it has to have a theme.”
The Christmas carolers, reindeer, snowmen, and Santa are minimalist compared to some of the more lavish displays around Gilroy, where every square inch of home, roof and lawn are covered in lights and decorations.
The Chuck property is too big for that, so they choose their spots: a family of snowmen at the top of the driveway, the carriage at the front edge of the lawn. It’s a serene night-time display.
“I like the snowmen because my mom likes them,” said Jack Chuck, who plans to scout out the competition in coming days. Like his grandmother, he thinks they’ll earn points for making many of their own decorations.
Originality, creativity, materials and design are top criteria for the judging panel in the competition, sponsored this by Staritt Realtors. All entries and winners will be published in the Dispatch. In addition to the prizes for individual homes, there will be a $75 prize for the best decorated apartment or condominium complex.
Entry forms must be returned by Dec. 13 to the Gilroy Dispatch, 6400 Monterey St., or by fax to 842-7105. The contest will be held Dec. 20 between 6 and 10pm. An application can be found today on the Dispatch Web site at www.gilroydispatch.com, in Thursday’s Dispatch or by calling Alan Ladd at 842-1503.
