Christmas lights come on in Ruhenstroth

All the judges for our Christmas lights contest enjoyed the music at 997 Farrier Court. Joe Brower, 9, really liked the reindeer decorations. Forest Cameron, 10, said the Santa on the roof was "over the top." All the animals in the scene were what caught the eyes of 12-year-old Chloe Lynch. Her brother, Chase, 9, liked the shooting star.

Rachel and Jorgen Christensen have a decorating party each year while they smoke a turkey on Thanksgiving.

"Our friends from Alpine County, Johnson Lane, and here in the Valley come over and we put up the decorations while the turkey cooks. All the kids help, too. We have a lot of fun and once the turkey's done, we're through decorating," Rachel laughs about how their tradition has evolved over the years. 

Jorgen (pronounced "yor-gen") uses a generator to power the whole scene, which helps keep the electricity costs down. The Christensens have two daughters, Madison, 8, and Kaitlyn, 12. Their favorite part is the Santa on the roof.

There seemed to be more decorations than last year and our judges spent several nights reviewing the displays throughout the neighborhood so they could see them all. Joe Brower also liked the gingerbread house effects at 1988 Palomino and said the penguins in the pond at 701 Pinto Lane were "spectacular." The old covered wagon covered in lights at 700 Pinto Lane "is a good theme for this neighborhood," according to Forest Cameron.

Howie Althouse once again made the plaque for the winner. 

"It is cut from a walnut tree stump that my son had removed from his property in California. The tree was one of three trees originally planted at a Wells Fargo stage stop," Howie explained.

His wife, Harriet, does the stenciling on the sign while Howie does the lettering, painting and staining. 

"It takes some time to set the machines so I went ahead and made next year's plaque," Howie shared.

Thank you to all who took the time to decorate their homes this year. It really brightens up the neighborhood, don't you agree? A special thank-you to the parents for driving our judges around. And of course, thank you to the judges: Joe Brower, Forest Cameron, Chloe and Chase Lynch.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

n Reach Gail Davis at RuhenstrothRamblings@yahoo.com or 265-1947.