As a thank you to some of the hardworking homeowners who brave the elements to give their neighbors a festive display, we once again launch our Holiday Decorating Contest for 2024!
We will be offering prizes for the 8 best holiday decorated homes that are nominated and voted on by Lakewood residents. We will also offer a prize for the home whose decorations best exemplify or project a message of PEACE ON EARTH. From a simple natural display, to the over the top, see it from space effects, everyone is welcome to participate.
The nomination process starts today, December 4th, and runs through the 18th.
Just go to our homepage: lakewoodobserver.com and click on Daily Question on the right hand side of the page.
https://lakewoodobserver.com/daily-question/2024-12-04
A person must nominate at least 3 homes. List only addresses with house number and street. Example: 1111 Bunts, 333 Ridegwood, 9999 Geil. If no house number is provided it will not be count as a nomination. You may enter every day, but PLEASE ONLY NOMINATE A HOME ONCE. As soon as it's nominated, it's in the contest. We will happily go out and photograph all nominated homes. Nominations will only be accepted through December 17th.
On December 18th, the voting starts. More on the voting process in the next issue of the Lakewood Observer.
Prizes are courtesy of Carabel Beauty Salon and Store, India Garden, Woodstock BBQ, The Root Cafe.
If your business would like to donate a gift prize, just give us a call. We are grateful for your support.
Birth of the LO Decorating Contest
You probably have not read this story before, so I will repeat it.
One December night I was on a Field Trip around the city with members of the Observer. We were noticing holiday lights, and the various styles and techniques. Were they elaborate festive Christmas decorations? Minimalists holiday decorations, or?
As happens in life as we drove around we talked and enjoyed and even laughed at many places. Then the conversation turned to the minimalists, and as it is always about the Observations. When a person merely changes the color of the porch light from white to red or green, legit? What posses a person who might not be caught up in the holiday make any effort to celebrate it openly? Was it a spouse or a friend that demanded something? Which brought us to discussing, people using one string of lights? How does one even decorate with one strand, when many use 10 or more? Would it not be harder with less than with more, who deserves the praise and admiration?
Then we ran into this house...
Delightfully understated. A red blanket over the second floor window, and a green blanket on the first floor.
One each side of the house in both direction, no holiday decorations. Certainly this person deserves a nod over his neighbors. It is also original, and delightful from afar.
There was no contest, but this could have won, best use of non-traditional items, and no additional lights in a Christmas Display.
As we drove around and chuckled and laughed, and framed, "Lakewood is the Paris of Cleveland's Inner Ring Suburbs" years before Scene claimed "Cleveland as the Paris of the Midwest." Which is where this postcard comes from.
So as I sat at home, looking and editing the various photos for the Observer, I ran into this one I took of the nasty little fake Christmas tree in Dollar General's window.
And I had a very Charlie Brown Christmas moment But Charlie Brown's Christmas is deep into the psyche of all Christian Americans, or those that celebrate the holidays.
Because so many forget this time of year. It is not the tree, but the thought. It is not the beauty of a tree covered in ornaments, but the love of that fills the room.
The next Holiday Season we started the LO Home Decorating Contest, to thank all for doing something. As well as giving kudos and prizes to some we love.
Here are some photo libraries from past 11 years posted for your pleasure. (Over 1800 photos of past Holidays Lights!
2023 Top 75 homes - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/jim-obryan/lo-holiday-lighting-contest-2023
2022 Top 100 photos - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... ntest-2022
2021 (150 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... ntest-2021
2020 (262 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... ights-2020
2019 (288 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... ntest-2019
2018 (118 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... hting-2018
2017 (182 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... ights-2017
2016 (166 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... ntest-2016
2015 (150 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... ntest-2015
2014 (273 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... hting-2014
2013 (167 photos) - https://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs ... stmas-2013
A limited edition post card.