Sticking with the theme of checking out Christmas Lights, such as the previous walk through Asbury Woods’ Winter Wonderland (which is still ongoing!) … we decided to check out the popular “Home for the Holidays” 2020 Barber Christmas Lights Contest. And while this one is a great event if you and your family are looking for something to do in order to get into the holiday spirit, a fair warning is that this event is huge! There are houses all around Erie county, and it could easily take you multiple nights!

Location

We strongly recommend you check out the Barber contest website for the rules of the contest as well as the map. The great benefit is that you could literally be driving from one side of town to the other and back again, and still not hit all of the lights. This includes the fact that you will probably see lights and displays up that aren’t officially part of the contest as well, but we recommend the map as these homes are more likely to be on and have the effort necessary to participate in the contest. These homes are ones that take the competition seriously!

Property Description

The property descriptions will vary. These homes might not just be homes – they can be businesses as well. The locations can be on busy streets, in the middle of subdivisions, or even down what looks like more private or less traveled roads. And while some places are probably closer to where you live, you can set up a list of addresses in advance so you can be sure to take as many of these houses in as possible. You might just be surprised at some of the displays, as we saw one that covered the full house and yard, one that had more figures than we could count, and even a set that you drive through as it was between two houses across the street from one another!

Another point to make is that according to the rules this contest technically covers Erie, Crawford, and Warren counties, so regardless of where you are there are probably some lights near you!

What to Do & Who Can Go:

All you need to do to participate in this event is check out the map and drive to some of the competitor’s displays. We want to note that you can also go back to the website and vote for your favorite. It’s also important to note that this is sponsored by the Barber National Institute, so if you feel the event is worth it and one you hope to continue seeing, consider making a donation to the nonprofit (which you can do right through the website).

As long as you, your significant other, your little one (or ones), or anybody else who is tired of being couped up can see out the windows of the car, this is a great event. You can get out of the house and take a drive. The common theme is to play some Christmas music if you would like, possibly grab some hot cocoa before you go, and just enjoy. You will want to plan ahead. And be aware that some of the busier streets may be a little bit harder to slow down, so have a plan. It is easy to pull over to the side of the road and park, and it’s a lot easier to slow down on side streets or in neighborhoods. Also, be sure to watch traffic because chances are there will be other people doing the same thing!

Final Thoughts:

With a fun event like this, you really are going to have a surprise at every home. The reality is every house is unique in some way. Because this is up to the individual home owners you never know what they are going to display or what you are going to get. That’s why you should make a plan to at least see a few, and then if you have fun you can either keep going or hit other houses on the other side of town the next time out. With only a few days left until Christmas, there is still time to get into the holiday spirit. With the ongoing pandemic, however, people are looking for reasons and activities to get out of the house. This even runs from December 12^th, all the way through January 2^nd, so you will definitely have time to check out the lights at least for a few nights!