If you like your Christmas lights display from last year, you can keep it. I promise.
This is one rule in Jefferson City's 27th annual Christmas Home Decorating Contest, sponsored by the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Department, the News Tribune, Cottonstone Gallery and Frame Shop, and the Jefferson City Outdoors volunteer group.
The contest is uplifting because you are adding to the beauty and joy of the Christmas season. Residents will smile when they see your display.
Construction and hard work are involved, but the effort is considered to be easier and less time consuming than trying to get health care from a broken website.
The five contest categories are City's Best (previous Mayor's Award Winners); Best Use of Lights; Best Religious Display; Best Use of Christmas Characters, and Christmas Elegance. New this year is the People's Choice Award.
A Tour of Lights map in Tuesday's paper will include a list of entrants along with residents who aren't competing but want their display included in the lights tour.
A clip-and-submit ballot will be included in Tuesday's Tour of Lights map. As viewers tour the city and enjoy the homes, they can use the ballot to vote for their favorite display. Instructions on the ballot will explain where to mail it or drop it off.
In addition to the residents voting on entries, official judges will view the homes from 6-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday to select first- and second-place winners in each category for each city ward. These preliminary winners will be listed in the Dec. 15 News Tribune.
Officials will re-judge all of the first-place winners on Dec. 14-15, and proclaim one Mayor's Award winner for each of the five categories. These winners will be announced in the Dec. 22 edition of the News Tribune. The new People's Choice Award will be announced in the News Tribune at a later date.
The deadline to enter the contest is noon Friday. To enter the contest, call 573-634-6482.