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In a city famed for its perennially brilliant neon, you might think the residents would be sick of twinkling lights by the time the festive season comes around. Think again. Every year neighbors and neighborhoods all over the valley spare no expense in celebrating the yuletide spirit and decking out their homes not just with traditional candy canes, wreaths, Santas, and snowflakes, but with an array of multi-colored animated extravaganzas that in recent years have also featured snowmen, angels, Disney characters, Magi, deer, reindeer, polar bears, pandas, penguins, camels, flamingos, moose, Teddy Bears, caroling mice, toy soldiers, dolls, elves, bells, stars, flowing rivers, exotic candles, cactus plants, carousels, Ferris wheels, palm trees, gingerbread houses, U.S. flags, trains, enchanted forests, and even a helicopter.
Each year the Las Vegas Review-Journal conducts a survey at the beginning of December, inviting readers to write in with details of the best-decked houses in their neighborhood. A big feature called "Holiday Home Tour" then runs in the "Living" section a couple of weeks later, after they’ve compiled all the data and had a chance to send a photographer out to capture the most impressive tableaux. This year the call went out on Sunday Nov. 27, requesting information (full street address and cross-street, detailed description of the display etc.) to be received by no later than 5 pm the following Friday. The results are due to be listed in the "Living" section on Dec. 15, which you can view online at www.reviewjournal.com if you're not able to purchase a hard copy of the paper that day.
And just in case you somehow miss the RJ's 2005 round-up, here's a list of some of the properties that regularly make it into the Holiday Home Tour, quoted courtesy of last year's feature: