Enter Patch's “Deck the House” Contest for a Chance to Win $100,000
Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!
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We’re launching our annual Deck the House Contest to find the most over-the-top holiday decorations in America — the best “decked” house in the country —the one home so spectacularly decorated that everyone in town jokes your holiday decorations could rival Rockefeller Center’s.
If this sounds like your house, upload a photo or video of your home to our contest page from Nov. 26 to Dec. 16 (check the site Monday for a direct link to our contest page so you can enter).
Only residents of Patch towns are eligible to enter. We’ll select 24 regional finalists, and from them, pick one grand prize winner. Patch will pay up to $500 of the utility bill for each finalist, while our national winner will have $100,000 donated to his or her local school district.
Our contest is right around the corner, so now’s the time to get your holiday decorations out of the attic and “deck” your house.
After all, ‘tis the season.......
Native Daughter
8:07 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2012
How about encouraging folks to use natural materials & that which they have on hand, instead of investing in yet more cheap toxic made-in-China plastic & garish displays? Look to Old Town, Georgetown, or Williamsburg for inspiration - some photos here: https://www.google.com/search?q=photos+of+natural+christmas+decorations&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=YzM&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Mf21ULauEPTo2gWR6oHQCw&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1920&bih=977
Native Daughter
8:08 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Moderate light displays preserve the natural peace of the night, & are more in sync with the Christmas season. Once a source of wonder, star-filled nights are vanishing - light pollution not only mars our view of the stars, it threatens astronomy, disrupts ecosystems, affects human circadian rhythms, & wastes $2.2b yrly in energy. Children growing up w/out the experience of starry nights miss opportunities to speculate about larger questions & to learn about the environment. www.darksky.org/about-ida
Native Daughter
8:10 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Too much cheap plastic stuff! Natural is the way to go, & so much more elegant & in keeping with the original spirit of Christmas.
http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/
http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-electronics/
Native Daughter
8:13 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Natural Christmas in Europe w/out excessive plastic displays: http://www.hulu.com/watch/107777
Eugenia Williford
12:44 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Natural is lovely and I am a huge fan of traditional decorating with fresh greenery, fruits, and such but honestly there is nothing more fun for kids than seeing Christmas lights! We like the ones that are well organized and seem to have a theme the best! We are thankful that other people are willing to do all this work for our enjoyment because we can't manage more than a single candle in each window and a twinkling tree.
Shaun Courtney
3:45 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Good point, Eugenia. I was lucky to buy my fresh green swag over Thanksgiving and to get my tree the first week of December. Otherwise even those very simple decorations might have never happened! -Shaun