It’s a friendly rivalry amid all the holiday cheer as Eureka becomes a winter wonderland with the Home for the Holidays competition.
One competitor, Nick Smithler, is ready to make sure his house takes home to $500 dollar prize.
“This is my third year in the Home for the Holidays. We finished second place last year. It’s exciting. I love the Home for the Holidays because it puts a map out there because we don’t know where to look for lights, so it’s a great tool to have,” Smithler said.
With the map now out for residents to explore homes competing, the Home for the Holidays competition is heating up with only few days remaining. The map list every house and is powered by Google to help residents get directions for everyone participating.
This go around, Smithler is maxing out his IT skills with a customized light show with more than 10,000 lights and custom-made projections.
“I hand build everything. There is not anything in here that I haven’t spent all of the hours and the time, soldering and putting everything together. This isn’t like I went to Home Depot or Wal-Mart,” Smithler said. “I did purchase all of the lights but I painstakingly with my leather gloves punched through every little light bulbs into, say, a big panel. It’s all done by hand.”
14 songs have been customized with those viewing able to pick the song off a website and listen in their cars via the radio.
Those walking can also press the button to get a random song at their disposal.
“I start planning probably like July-ish. I do a lot of Christmas songs, but I like to do a lot of not traditional Christmas music. I do a custom mix every year. We did country Christmas, last year we did trap, and this year is a hip-hop Christmas,” Smithler said.
Other competitors include another display on G Street and a Grinchy Whoville wonderland on Leonard Road.
One display on P Street is also a glorious lit escape, decked out to the nines. This includes animatronics, large letter displays and christmas music one a loop ready to grace onlookers.
Residents can vote on their favorites on the city website through a form with the winner decided after the holidays.
The Home for the Holidays Decorating Contest lasts until Tuesday, December 26th with the first and second places and mayor’s choice prizes will be awarded.
