My sister, Randi, and her husband, Shaun, are what I would call competitive. If there is a contest or competition that can be joined, they join. It is no different when it comes to the Lodi Christmas Decorating Contest. Last year they came in third place. This year it is a no holds barred effort. One in which I got to lend hand.
They went from this:
To this on Thursday:
After lunch on Thanksgiving and once our parents, niece and great nephews left, Randi began pulling out box after box of decorations. She has been planning this all year. Last December, right after Christmas, she began scouring stores for decorations at a reduced cost. Her theme: Happy Howlidays. If you don’t know what that is alluding to, you should know Randi makes her living as a pet groomer.
When she and Shaun began putting together the different pieces, I joined them on the porch. I was instrumental in reading the instructions out loud to them. Hey, I’m a supervisor at heart! At one point, the porch looked like an aisle at Walmart during the Christmas season.
There was much discussion on placement of the decorations. When we finally wrapped up for the night (it was getting cold and dark), the yard and garage roof glittered and glowed. They even had a dalmatian pulling Santa on a snowboard on top of the garage roof. Since that time, I know further decorations were placed and some of the ones I helped with were rearranged.
If they don’t win first place, I’m not sure how they will top their efforts next year. Oh, wait, if I just issued a challenge, I’m sure they’ll be up to accepting it. When the two of them are committed to something, they are committed.
If you have stories of family who enjoy competing, I’d love to hear how you manage. Feel free to share in the comments below. As always, if you enjoyed this blog, please share with your friends! Have a safe and happy Howlidays! If you want to check out their decorations you can see them on North Market Street. If you go and see them, let me know what grade you would give them.
Funny!