Clifton Ave. home earns top marks

The winners of the Town of Windsor's Residential Christmas Decorating Contest will be illuminating Clifton Avenue at sundown until about a week after New Year's Eve.

VanEssa Roberts, Windsor's director of Community Development, Tourism and Recreation, says Garey Pridham and Susan Sheehy's 512 Clifton Avenue home won top marks for being decorated with a unique style that suggested every element of the display was meticulously arranged.

"First place… was about elegance with lights," Roberts said.

Judges toured the town for two hours the night of Dec. 11 and found that about 65 per cent of the dwellings in Windsor were decorated.

Roberts said the second place prize was awarded to home owners who used a minimal amount of lights to perfect their display and third place was reserved for a well-lit, colourful home that screamed family fun.

Second place winners Pam and John Edgecomb, at 850 Clifton Avenue, were awarded a free skating party for 40 friends at the Windsor Exhibition Arena. Wanda and Brian Lavers, at 13 Burgess Crescent, received a $50 gift certificate to a downtown merchant of their choosing, compliments of the Windsor Business Enhancement Society.

Pridham and Sheehy won a $300 prize package, including Beauti-tone paint and supplies, donated by Windsor Home Hardware. The hardware store will foot the bill for a professional paint consultant to tour their home and offer suggestions.

Pridham, an award-winning photographer, says he didn't decorate his home with the intent of winning any contests this year; it's simply something he loves to do.

"You know what's funny? We didn't even have it all done. I still had more lights to put up," he said with a laugh.

The display relies on the proper use of three main festive colours — red, green and white — and the tasteful placement of every light source. This year, Pridham illuminated the trees on his front and side lawns with red and green spotlights, outlined his house with white, and framed his front door and windows in red.

"I'm looking forward to next year because I've got bigger and better things all planned," he said.

It takes about two weeks for Pridham to be happy with his exterior Christmas decorations.

"I just do it because I enjoy it and our neighbours and people who walk by say, ‘Thank you so much for all you do. It's like you brighten up the street,'" he said.