The Willow Glen Resident

Bright Lights, Little Glen

Your guide to finding the best displays in the neighborhood

By Deborah Taylor-Hollis

During the holidays, thousands of motorists descend on Willow Glen to see the unique Christmas displays. To help save residents time and gas locating the most memorable homes out there, I took a three-hour tour of the Old Glen with my homelights expert, 4-year-old Stuart. From the Palms to Minnesota, Bird to Meridian, we searched the streets and rated the best of the best for your viewing pleasure. We suggest the best viewing times are from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. weeknights, when crowds are light and you can cruise slowly to savor each street in all its glory.

Start from the north and take Carolyn from the river into the Glen. With 95 percent of the neighbors participating, Carolyn makes a wonderful sight after dark.

Next try Camino Pablo. Take time to note the especially beautiful traditional home in the 1000 block, complete with lighted Disney characters in the windows. One home in the 1300 block glows with multicolored lights, remniscient of a festival.

The 1200 block of Camino Ramon offers a spectacular light show this season; take note of the multicolored banks of lights from house to house, draped over the trees and bushes. Two homes facing each other on this block offer a double surprise: Colored spotlights dazzle on one side of the street, while a lawn of white lights bathes its neighbor in a warm glow. The house at the corner of Willow also puts on a nice show.

Check out the 1100 block of Glen Avenue, where a three-story A-frame has been outlined to perfection. It looks like two neighbors went in on their decorations together on the 1100 block of Crescent, with the side-by-side residences stealing the show on that street.

But it's the large farmhouse at Newport and Minnesota that--hands down--wins the best of show (it would have even beaten out the large willow tree at Willow and Shelton, which is dark this year).

This home has a carnival theme with a lit circus carousel complete with illuminated topiary animals standing in for their circus counterparts. Colored shrubs, Santa with reindeer arriving on the roof, a star atop the home, Frosty the Snowman on the side roof, candy-cane pillars and rainbows of blinking trees make this the showstopper of the season.

Please, remember to pull over and park when driving to this spectacular home. Not only will you have a chance to see the work the owners put into it, but you will be able to avoid irritable motorists who are unforgiving of slow movers on Minnesota.

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