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Residents gearing up for Tour of Lights as deadline to register approaches

906 Ledford Court; First Place
Andy Bockelman

For many, the day after Thanksgiving marks the day to put up the Christmas lights outside, decorate the tree indoors, and shift to a more festive, holiday mood as the snow starts to fall and Christmas sits a month away.

In Craig, the shift from Thanksgiving to Christmas also means that the deadline for the Tour of Lights, which will be judged the night of Tuesday, Dec. 15, draws near.

The yearly exhibition of Christmas cheer throughout the town sees residents decorate their homes with decorations ranging from strands of lights to inflatables to wooden cutouts to Nativity scenes. Deadline to register for the event, sponsored by the Craig Press and Yampa Valley Electric Association, is Wednesday, Dec. 2 by 5 p.m.



A list of all addresses entered into the Tour of Lights will be published on Friday, Dec. 4 in the Craig Press.

So far, managers at Samuelson’s True Value and M.J.K Sales and Feed Inc. say they’ve seen an increase in holiday light sales, specifically rope lights that residents can hang from their homes, lighting up the community for the holiday season.



For the second year in a row though, Joe Bird – the winner of five straight Tour of Lights events – won’t compete. Last year’s winner – Chris Nichols – will be back this year to defend his title.

In years past, hanging Christmas lights in the fashion that the Birds did for the Tour of Lights was strenuous.

“It was just very labor intensive,” Bird said. “We would spend the weekend after Halloween until Thanksgiving night hanging up Christmas lights, adjusting things, trying to get it to look as good as possible. We’re getting a little older now, so getting up on the roof is difficult.

“We not taking those chances anymore, so we just decided to enjoy the season, rather than working on the lights,” Bird added.

Despite sitting out for the second year in a row, Bird said he and his wife are still looking forward to driving around town looking at all the lights, helping put them in the holiday spirit.

“We love to drive around and see what other participants are doing,” Bird said. “There are a lot of beautiful homes that aren’t even in the tour. We love the festivity of the whole thing, the spirit of the season going into Christmas and interpretation of the holiday from those participating in the event.”

This year, the first-place prize will be $200, while second and third place will receive $125 and $75, respectively. All prize money is donated by YVEA.

Judges will award prizes based on use of lights, creativity, and overall appearance of the homes. Registration is free of charge and is open to homes in Craig and Moffat County.

Please email recommended addresses to ssteele@craigdailypress.com.


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