LET THERE BE LIGHTS SOME AREA RESIDENTS PULL OUT THE STOPS TO SHINE FOR THE HOLIDAYS.Byline: Mike Chmielecki Staff Writer Ah, Christmas in the Valley. That time of year when Snoopys in Santa hats co-exist happily with glowing lawn angels and Nativity scenes. And when thousands of tiny bulbs light neighborhood streets better than the street lamps. A twinkling Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. peeking through the drapes drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. simply won't do. Here, it's all about who has the biggest, brightest and sometimes wildest holiday display. John Reilly John Reilly can refer to:
For the past five years Reilly has been adding to his display, and this year boasts 7,500 lights sloping down the roof, draping draping, n in massage, technique of securely covering and uncovering parts of the body and moving the client. draping covering the animal with sterile drapes for surgery leaving exposed only that part of the body that has been off walls, and outlining seasonal signs. He has even placed red and green filters over his floodlights. ``It's a lot of lights,'' Reilly admits. ``When I turn them on, the street lights dim.'' Luckily, Reilly lives in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , where the DWP DWP Department of Work and Pensions (UK) DWP Drinking Water Program DWP Dynamic Weapon Pricing (gamin, Counter-Strike: Source) DWP Department of Water & Power DWP Drinking Water Protection power supply has not yet been strained as it has in surrounding cities affected by deregulation Deregulation The reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry. Notes: Traditional areas that have been deregulated are the telephone and airline industries. . In those cities, residents have been asked to refrain from flicking on the lights until 8 p.m. Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. resident Joe Vesalga's home alone could trigger a power alert. He has 31,000 bulbs blanketing walls, fences, trees, his yard and house. His roof features a 17-foot pole of lights made to look like a Christmas tree. A light-sculpture Santa and reindeer hang off his television antenna. ``I try to make certain areas do certain things: flashers on the walls, lots of figurines and light sculptures on the lawn,'' he says. He even coordinated lights for a 40-foot model train track suspended a few feet above his lawn. ``Some lights are blue to look like a lake. Others are red to look like rock. And the track looks like it's suspended by lights.'' Mike Paul of Moorpark also has a train in his yard, and 10,000 lights. But those features are dwarfed by the nine baby angels peering in a line over his roof. Paul's mother-in-law is the reason for the surreal decoration. At their first home, she drove every day by a Chevrolet billboard on Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. that featured babies. When the ad came down, she called the billboard company and was able to keep the babies. ``My wife came up with the idea to decorate them as angels and put them on the roof for Christmas. I thought she was crazy,'' Paul says. ``But we did it, and now we're the angel-baby house. It's a little bit of a landmark.'' Amy White doesn't have babies on the roof of her mother-in-law's home in Tarzana, but there are glowing rows of Snoopys, Christmas trees, light poles and snowmen lined up like toy soldiers. In 1986, when White and her husband started decorating, they had a total of two sets of lights for the roof, and some miniature lights to deck their hibiscus bush. This year, they have a full Nativity set, a North Pole North Pole, northern end of the earth's axis, lat. 90°N. It is distinguished from the north magnetic pole. U.S. explorer Robert E. Peary is traditionally credited as being the first to reach (1909) the North Pole. In 1926, Richard E. area and almost every major Disney character. They skipped Thanksgiving and spent 10 consecutive days setting up the display. ``We're still working on the inside,'' White says. ``It's so overwhelming, actually. Sometimes it's too much work.'' Decked out for the holidays Enjoy the bright lights of the holiday season by checking out some local house displays. Here are some our readers told us about. Remember, while Los Angeles has not been affected by the recent power drain, some are conserving energy by turning lights on later. So head out after 8 p.m. for a colorful drive. AGOURA HILLS The Stewarts, 28925 Burleson St. - Display features handmade and hand-painted Santas, a sleigh sleigh: see sled. , reindeer, lights, candy canes, Santa Bear, train and the ``Merry Molar Family.'' BURBANK The Nortons, 513 N. Florence St. - Display features animated merry-go- round, Ferris wheel Ferris wheel, amusement park ride. It consists of a power-operated wheel that is about 50 ft (15 m) in diameter. It has two rims that are parallel to and equidistant from the shaft about which the wheel rotates. , flying swings, teeter-totter, steam engine, jack-in- the-box Santa, sound system, lights. The La Praths, 529 N. Florence St. - Display features animated train, ice skaters, Santa and sleigh, Christmas music, lights, ``Snowland'' Christmas town. CANOGA PARK The Kerrs, 20212 Hart St. - Display features 14,000 lights, music, animation, roof done as winter wonderland, a Christmas morning scene with presents and trains, the Grinch in a speedboat, Rugrats. The Packers, 8479 Remmet Ave. - Display features 50,000 lights, multiple designs, lighted candy canes. CHATSWORTH The Schneiders, 10219 Cozycroft Ave. - Display features lights, star- and-wreath pathway tied with ribbons, and reindeer. GRANADA HILLS The Reillys, 15657 Devonshire St. - Display features reindeer, icicles, red and green floodlights and more than 7,500 lights. The Reubens, 10442 Amestoy Ave. - Display features lights, reindeer, a Christmas tree and a snowman. The Russells, 16418 Kalisher St.) - Display features the Grinch and his dog, Max, atop the house; lights, candy canes, reindeer and a 7-foot snowman. MISSION HILLS The Hernandez and Tapia families, 10920 Bartee Ave. - Display features Nativity scene with sheep, church, school, Santa's village Santa's Village is the name of several theme parks in the U.S. states of California, Illinois, and New Hampshire, in addition to one in Ontario, Canada. As of 2007, only the theme parks in New Hampshire and in Ontario remain open. , candles, computer-operated lights. MOORPARK The Pauls, 4309 N. Ashtree St. - Display features handmade carousels, train, nine baby angels looking over the roof line and more than 10,000 lights. Food collected for Moorpark Food Pantry on weekends, with hot chocolate and popcorn offered to visitors. NORTH HOLLYWOOD The Loudermilks, 11646 Morrison St. - Display features angels, Minnie and Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse Famous character of Walt Disney's animated cartoons. He was introduced in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first animated cartoon with sound. Mickey was created by Disney, who also provided his high-pitched voice, and was usually drawn by the studio's head animator, ice skating ice skating, gliding along an ice surface on keellike runners known as ice skates. Skating as a Sport Skating, besides being an important form of winter recreation and the essential skill in the game of ice hockey (see hockey, ice) has developed , Snoopy Snoopy world’s most famous beagle. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 542] See : Dogs Snoopy imaginative dog. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 542–543] See : Illusion on roof, animated Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus sitting at computer, Christmas trees, Nativity scene. NORTHRIDGE The Huffmans, 16842 Itasca St. - Display features a 12-foot lighted tree, motorized mo·tor·ize tr.v. mo·tor·ized, mo·tor·iz·ing, mo·tor·iz·es 1. To equip with a motor. 2. To supply with motor-driven vehicles. 3. To provide with automobiles. carousel with village scene, ``Christmas countdown'' sign. The house is a Toys for Tots Toys For Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks. drop-off. The Monroes, 10122 Hadley Ave. - Display features Santa and sleigh, extensive Nativity scene, tall decorated tree. More than 10,000 lights. The Shields, 18842 Devonshire St. - Display features a train, Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, lights. The house is a Toys for Tots drop-off. SAUGUS The Stephensons, 20103 Gina Court - The first of seven homes in the neighborhood decorated with snowmen, Santa, reindeer, candy canes, Nativity scenes. Lights are strung from house to house across the street. SHERMAN OAKS The Lazelles, 5505 Wortser Ave. - Display features flying reindeer with Santa and sleigh, manger scene and 3,000 twinkling lights. SIMI VALLEY The Michaels, 2117 Parker Court - Display features moving wooden figures, Disney characters This is a currently incomplete list of Disney characters:
The Vesalgas, 2020 Bolivar Court - Display features electric train on 40-foot circular track, 17-foot tall Christmas tree made of lights on roof, more than 31,000 other lights. SYLMAR The Garcias, 14801 Aztec St. - Display features Nativity scene, penguins with igloo igloo (ĭg`l  ) [Inuit,=house]. The Eskimos traditionally had three types of houses. , snowman family, the Clauses, soldiers throughout whole yard, Disney characters, animated reindeer. The Hasterts, 14246 Bledsoe St. - Display features more than 10,000 lights, lighted figures and animated reindeer. TARZANA The Whites, 5330 Topeka Drive - Display features Santa Claus, Snoopy, Mickey Mouse on roof, decorated trees, lighted candles and candy canes. VALENCIA Nancy Garcia and Harry Vermeer, 26866 Lugar De Oro Drive - Display features gingerbread gingerbread In architecture and design, elaborately detailed embellishment, either lavish or superfluous. Though the term is occasionally applied to such highly detailed and decorative styles as the Rococo, it usually refers to the hand-carved and -sawn wood ornamentation of Santa and reindeer, candy canes, icicles, colored lights. VAN NUYS The Cravens, 17212 Vose St. - Display features traveling elves on track, wooden cut-outs, Disney characters, thousands of lights. The Elliotts, 14960 and 14956 Hartland St. - Display features artificial trees, stockings, angels, snowmen, Santa Claus, thousands of lights. WEST HILLS The Millers, 8344 Ducor Ave. - A circus tent made of lights and icicles with 20-foot center pole, reindeer merry-go-rounds, angels at entrance, Santa watching from chimney. The Wines, 7362 Asman Ave. - Hanukkah and Christmas light displays. WINNETKA The Gibbs, 20236 Londelius - Display features Barney, Teletubby and Looney Tunes characters This is the complete list of Looney Tunes characters organised after the year of their first appearance. Note: The more famous or noteworthy Looney Tunes characters are listed in bold. ; icicles; thousands of lights. The McGuires, 8133 Irondale Ave. - Display features snowmen in front yard, more than 10,000 lights. WOODLAND HILLS The Balians, 23865 Aetna St. - Santa and reindeer flying over house, Nativity scene, Snoopy and other characters, thousands of lights. The Wilsons, 23260 Leonora Drive - Display features cotton ``snow,'' reindeer, Santa, candy canes, tours, train going around a Christmas tree, many lights and characters. Candy Cane Lane, between Oxnard and Martha streets, on the four blocks east of Winnetka Ave. and north of the Ventura Freeway. CAPTION(S): 8 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Do you see what I see? The Valley brightens up with some of the biggest, wildest holiday displays ever (2 -- 3 -- color) Joe Vesalga of Simi Valley uses 31,000 bulbs to decorate his house and yard - including a 17-foot pole of lights strung to form a Christmas tree, below. (4 -- 5 -- color) The Paul home in Moorpark, right, features a train and baby angels on the roof. Below, Dorthea White of Tarzana displays a line of Snoopys, trees and snowmen. John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer (6 -- 7) Baby angels line the roof of the Paul home in Moorpark, above; below, Sandra and John Reilly outside their decorated home in Granada Hills. (8) Shelley and Mike Paul, front, worked with their children, Sean back left, Ryan and Chrissy to turn their house into a showplace of lights. John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News Box: Decked out for the holidays (see text) |
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