How To
By
eHow Holidays & Celebrations Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Step1
Determine different categories for participation and judgment. For example, you might divide the contest into Most Creative Use of Lights, Best Yard Display and Overall Grand Prize Winner categories.
Step2
Circulate a flyer announcing the contest throughout your neighborhood in early November. Ensure you include details such as your contact information, the date when the decorations need to be up and the different categories for judgment.
Step3
Select an impartial judge or judges to determine the winner of the decorating contest, and then supply them with the categories for judging. To ensure fairness and impartiality to all families who are participating, you might consider asking your town supervisor or village mayor to select the winners.
Step4
Collect a small donation from each of the participating homeowners to purchase the judge or judges of the contest a token gift for giving your neighborhood their time during the busy holiday season.
Step5
Ask local businesses to supply prizes for the winning homes. Consider asking garden stores or tree farms to donate a free Christmas tree for the grand prize winner, and local bakeries to donate Christmas cookies for the other category winners.
Step6
Decorate your own house with as much pizzazz and color as possible. Incorporate music, if your electrical lines will allow it, and as many twinkling lights as your house can hold. The adage "go big or stay home" clearly applies here.
Step7
Instruct the homeowners to hang a clearly visible sign on their doors on the night of judging, to designate their home as a contest participant. This way, the judge(s) will know to complete an assessment of their decorations.
Step8
Consider hosting an informal hot chocolate and cookies open house in your home for all participating families following the judging activity. The winners can be announced and prizes awarded.