LONG WINTER'S NAP FOR TINSEL, TRIM.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

On the glittering, multihued streets known as Candy Cane Lane, it's out with the tinsel and glitter of Christmas and into the storage sheds until the holidays roll around again.

House after house trimmed with wooden Santas and holiday garlands were mostly quiet Sunday, save for a few homeowners who decided to pack the decorations away so they'd be free to watch football games and relax today.

Residents said the displays were particularly elaborate this year, and some were keeping them up until New Year's Day.

``People still like to come by on New Year's Eve and see the houses for the last time,'' said Peter Grossman, a six-year resident. ``When you drive by (the houses), you're seeing the spirit of the holidays.''

Margaret McNeely had her two young children helping her pack up decorations Sunday.

``A lot of this stuff is new and I don't know where I'm going to put it all,'' said McNeely, whose 6-year-old son, Joshua, and daughter Claire, 2, ran the giant red bows from the fence to waiting boxes Sunday.

``People seemed to go crazy this year; it seemed like more people decorated,'' McNeely said. ``But it's a great tradition, especially for the kids. It's great for the community.''

McNeely said some neighbors began retrieving decorations from their yards Friday, which lessened some of the inquiring traffic.

``It's harder to take down than put up because you have to figure out how to store it all back in the shed,'' said Grossman, who gathered lights from atop his roof Sunday.

John Docter, standing in his driveway among dozens of plastic candy canes and wooded gingerbread cut-outs, had the same concerns about successfully packing the goods away for the year.

``I packed our shed all wrong just now, so I had to take some of the cut-outs back out,'' Docter said. ``I kind of swore that I'd take notes this year, but I didn't.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) John Docter takes down Santa from the roof of his house in the Candy Cane Lane area of Woodland Hills on Sunday.

(2) Claire McNeely, 2, runs with a red ribbon as her family takes down yard trims.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer