Getting in the spirit, one light at a time

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/12/2011 (5256 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Look no further than the southwest neighbourhood of Linden Woods to find Winnipeg’s best and brightest this holiday season.

Homeowners spared no expense decorating their houses with Christmas lights and decorations to mark last week’s 20th annual Linden Lights celebration. Three judges who live outside of the Linden Woods area were driven around in a limousine on the evening of Dec. 14 in search of this year’s best displays.

“Judges look at the presentation as a whole,” said Linden Lights volunteer co-ordinator Jillian Ainge. “They note if there’s music playing, if there’s any motion or if homeowners use one colour or multicoloured lights,” she said.

Both of last season’s winners took the top prizes again this year. Best-lit themed street was awarded to Polar Bear Lane (Hennessey Drive), beating out Candy Cane Lane (Foxmeadow Drive) and newcomer Penguin Way (Lindenshore Drive).

The best-lit house of 2011 went to 125 Shorecrest Drive — for the second year in a row.

“There’s more than 40,000 lights,” on the property, said Al Jasper of his prize-winning home.

The Jaspers moved here from Calgary about 18 months ago and Al eagerly joined the spirit of the neighbourhood for the Christmas season, winning the competition last year.

The decorations include about 25,000 lights wrapped around eight trees on the property.

“Every year I spend about $500 to $1,000 on lights,” Jasper said, adding he brought his lights with him when he moved from Calgary. “Over the years, it adds up.”

Nikki Lam, director of special events for the Linden Woods Community Centre, said the Jasper home narrowly came out on top but the judges also agreed to give an honourable mention to 7 Tipton Court.

“There was a very long debate about the winning house,” Lam said.

The competition is sponsored by Scotiabank and Boston Pizza on Kenaston and the Linden Dental Medical Centre. The winner gets a plaque at the Linden Woods Community Centre — and bragging rights.

“It’s a great community and there’s a lot of camaraderie, but neighbours definitely try to one up each other,” said Ainge.

Charles Wiebe has seen this neighbourly rivalry first-hand. Wiebe owns The Christmas Light Guys, a company that specializes in Christmas light installation.

“Linden Woods is a really strong market for us. I’ve noticed our jobs have gotten bigger and bigger,” he said. “People see others’ work and it does get a little competitive when they see what can be done.”

Wiebe said he’s seen a big shift towards the popular power-saving LED lights since his company first started plugging Winnipeggers in during the holiday season 11 years ago.

“We actually assume people want LED and it’s become a special request if someone wants incandescent lights,” he said.

Heartland International Travel and Tours began offering guided tours of the city’s major glowing attractions in 2006. The tour includes stops at the Manitoba Legislative Building and Canad Inns Winter Wonderland, but according to tour organizer Heather Pedreira, Linden Lights draws the most oohs and ahhs from tour participants.

Even with an added tour date this year, Pedreira said all the seats on the 47-passenger bus have already sold out. “There’s a big push once December hits and people get into the holiday spirit.”

alana.odegard@freepress.mb.ca