Prize-winning Christmas decorations # 6

This is the winner of the "Best Religious Display" in Area 3 for 2017. I took this picture during the day to show how this display is just as beautiful during the day as during the night. It's not in the picture but there is a dancing angel just above Mary and the baby. Go by and see.

Prize-winning Christmas decorations #4

This house won the award for the Most Original Holiday Display in District 2. It has a wide array of winter and Christmas characters on display.



There are the usual characters that I grew up with.



And the unusual characters that my children grew up with.



And of course Snoopy and the gang.

Prize-winning Christmas decorations #3

The sign in the front yard says that this home's decorations won the Best Religious display award this year. It is truly a beautiful nativity display.



But I would have to say that the nativity sceen was a little overwhelmed by the rest of the decorations.



And, of course, I found my buddy, Snoopy.

Prize-winning Christmas decorations #2

Here is today's offering of a Christmas decoration winner here in Downey. This one is at 8602 Nada Street. It's a corner house and the decorations wrap around the corner, so you get lots of little smiles as you walk along. You should drive over, get out, and see for yourself.



These snowmen were there to greet any visitor and show the award sign.



Just around the corner from them are a couple of gnomes having a discussion about the toys in Mom's garden.



And of course, I smiled when I noticed Snoopy and Woodstock.

Prize-winning Christmas decoration

I ride my bike through this neighborhood each day on my way to work. Because of the early sunsets these days, I was able to see this house all lit up the other day. I came back and took this picture.



Then I went up close to see the individual parts and noticed Snoopy in a sleigh. Any decoration is better with Snoopy included.



Then I saw that I wasn't the only one that came to the conclusion that this was an award-winning display.

Home for the holidays part II

Yesterday I showed you some pictures of the Downey Rose Float Association's entry into the Pasadena Rose Parade. Their entry is titled "Home for the holidays." Well, the float won a national award called "Best Depiction of Life In U.S.A. - Past, Present Or Future." The attention to detail is certainly one reason for the award. This squirrel's fur is made of cotton that the volunteers had to take the seeds out of by hand.



I guess they didn't have a cotton gin handy.



This horse is so life-like.



This tree stump with the viewing slits is for the emergency brakeman. The driver follows a painted line in the middle of the road to stay on the parade route. If anyone runs in front of the float while it is moving, the driver would never know. But the emergency brakeman, looking through the slits, would pull the lever to stop the float.

The bright star of Bethlehem

Nativity scenes tell the real story of Christmas. It's really not about fighting traffic and buying bigger and better presents. It's about the humble birth of Jesus.

This particular nativity is a beautiful representation. It was awarded the "Best Religious Display" for the Downey home decorating contest.



"Christmas in Bethelem. The ancient dream:  a cold, clear night made brilliant by a glorious star, the smell of incense, shepherds and wise men falling to their knees in adoration of the sweet baby, the incarnation of perfect love."
~ Lucinda Franks

Mayor's Award, Area 4

The city of Downey is lit up this year with Christmas lights. This house was amazing. It was the winner of the city of Downey's Mayor's Award for Area 4. The yard was covered in "snow" and there were lighted decorations everywhere. There was even a live Santa sitting in a "sleigh."

As we drove around Downey, it had me wondering how it came about that we started putting lights on our homes.

Did you know that it was Thomas Edison who started it all? It seems that Edison wanted to find a way to market his incandescent light bulb. He decided to use his invention to add to the Yuletide festivities. He strung up lights all around his laboratory building so that railway commuters could see them. I'm sure he never imagined the global phenomenon he started back in 1880.

"Christmas is the season of light."
~ Anonymous

Winter wonderland

Tonight in my search for interesting Christmas decorations, I ventured into north Downey, where I discovered what looked like the perfect gingerbread house come to life.

This house won the Downey Holiday Home Decorating Contest Winter Wonderland award for Area 4. Every line and curve is outlined with lights. There's a cute display in every window.

Even as I (and numerous other carloads) admired it, I couldn't help but think about the amount of work that went into creating this winter wonderland!

Hope is high

It's 3:00 am. You wake up with a chill and see the bedroom window is cracked open. You shuffle out of bed to close it and grab another blanket from the closet. On your way back to bed you see the cradle in the corner still has the "auto rock" on and is swaying gently. You go over to see your month old baby sigh deeply in her sleep. She's perfect. All ten toes and all ten fingers. From the perfect puff on her head to the tiny freckle on her pinky toe, she's perfect. Suddenly you're seeing her first birthday, her first boyfriend and Prom and college flashing before your eyes. You softly touch her cheek, tuck the covers in around her a little tighter and slide back into bed.

Two months later.

It's 3:00 am. You wake up with a chill and see the bedroom window is cracked open. You shuffle out of bed to close it and grab another blanket from the closet. On your way back to bed you see that you still haven't moved the cradle. The empty cradle. The cradle that once held your perfect depiction of Love. The cradle that you and your husband put together three months ago. Then, after a month of pure joy, your world turned inside out. The day you realized you would never see her first birthday, her first boyfriend, Prom or college.

The day you found out your baby girl was diagnosed with SMA.

This is a situation no mother or father ever wants to find themselves in. But unfortunately, more than a few do. According to a study, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is the #1 reason for infant death. And even more unfortunate is the fact that it doesn't have to be this way. There are cures just over the horizon in labs and minds of Scientists. But there is no funding for something so few of the population know about. In these situations, people grieve in a variety of ways, some strange, others wondrous.

Brenda Barberena lost the little love of her life to SMA almost two years ago. Since then, she has been an advocate for various teams fighting for a cure for SMA. She has been a spokesperson, a campaigner, and a friend for those grieving their own loss. This August, she became a board member and director for a non-profit organization called hopeforsma.org. It is a voice in the darkness for those who are fighting and those who have lost. The plea for awareness encourages those who feel that no one knows what they are going through. "Hope for SMA" speaks publicly for those whose hearts are aching. It reaches to people outside the circle of pain. It raises hope.



This August was a huge stepping stone for Brenda and her cause. Not only was her organization started, but our beautiful city of Downey proclaimed August as SMA awareness month. The City Council awarded her this Proclamation last night at their meeting where Fire fighters, Policemen, and people of the city listened to her story about her baby and her fight.

This fight is far from the end, but steps like the one our city took raises hope that soon, others will be making these steps to funding and finding a cure.