Rewarding bright ideas

Many Cape Girardeau homes and businesses are wired for the holiday, with countless strands of twinkling Christmas lights outlining windows and rooftops and blanketing Christmas decorations from Santas to reindeer.

It's the season for extension cords and the enthusiasm sparked by those who start hanging outdoor lights in early November before the weather turns cold.

But with so many displays, deciding on winners for Cape Girardeau's annual Holiday of Lights tour wasn't easy.

"It was absolutely tough," said Cathi Schlosser, director of membership development for the chamber of commerce.

Schlosser and others on the chamber's beautification committee toured the city Tuesday night to pick out the best displays of holiday lights from about 50 entries.

They ended up selecting 21 homes and businesses, three winning displays from each of seven zones in the city.

"It is a real shame that not all of them can be winners," Schlosser said.

Chamber officials said the self-guided tour is just a sample of the holiday decorations that adorn Cape Girardeau's homes and businesses. The chamber beautification committee puts a sign in the yard of each winning entry.

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is operated by the chamber, provides a list of the winning entries and directions for those wanting to see the lights.

"We map out the route," said Chuck Martin, CVB director.

For Mickey Horn, there's always room for more Christmas lights. His small, white frame house at 828 S. West End Blvd. is covered with twinkling, colored lights. In his hilltop yard are more lights and decorations, including electrical reindeer whose heads move up and down, glowing candy canes and a wooden silhouette of a manger scene illuminated with blue-bulb spotlights.

"We have just a little bit of everything," said Horn, who ran an extension cord under his gravel driveway to power up some of the decorations.

Horn views his Christmas decorations as a religious celebration.

"It is our Lord Jesus Christ's birthday." he said. "We want to light the world for that."

Extension of church

Holiday decorations also are a matter of faith for the Rev. Doug Breite, whose Christmas lights were a winner for the second year in a row. He and other members of his congregation at Trinity Lutheran Church spend hours decorating the Breite yard at 2811 Thomas Drive.

"Figuring out the wiring is the trickiest part for me," Breite said. "It is all trial and error."

The decorations, he said, require numerous extension cords.

He said his home and yard are decorated with thousands of white lights. Some of the displays are illuminated with spotlights.

The words "silent night" hang over the garage. The words "holy night" are attached to a fence in front of the house. The words are made out of rope light and attached to metal supports. The words are about 9 feet long with 1-foot-tall letters. A lighted star sits atop the house's roof.

New additions for this year include wooden figures of wise men, a camel and a 6-foot-tall Christmas card that summarizes the Christmas story. All three are illuminated by spotlights.

Breite and his fellow decorators from church already are looking to make improvements next year by adding music to the display.

"We want Christmas carols playing outside," he said.

The reason for the season isn't lost on Breite and his congregation. Along with the holiday decorations, there's an information box in his yard with brochures about the church and Christianity.

As for Horn, he admits that putting up holiday lights is a chore. But he said the task is well worth it.

He'd put up more lights if he could.

"I used to put them on my roof," said Horn, who is in his 60s. "But my wife won't let me put them on the roof any more."

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123