Christmas lights

The Batavia Area Jaycees have announced the winners of their annual Christmas Light Contest, with awards in six categories this year, plus some honorable mentions.

Judging took place the evening of Dec. 18.

The winners are:

• Most Traditional: 12 Vernon Ave.
• Simple & Elegant: 14 Union St.
• Most Colorful: 8485 Stringham Drive
• Most Commercial: 21 Union Ave.
• Overall Winner: 2 Lincoln Ave.
• Friends of the Lighting Company: 16 Vine St.

An unannounced category for the Most Patriotic Theme was given to 24 Roosevelt Ave.

Honorable Mentions: All of Redfield Parkway; 16 and 18 Tracy Ave. (The Jaycees liked the wreath connecting the houses, which fits with a part of the Jaycee's Creed,  "The Brotherhood of Man..."); and 120 Elm St., for its hand-painted sign.

In my drive around this evening looking for Batavia's interesting Christmas lights, I found this handsomely decorated tractor on Roosevelt.

And below, a brightly lit house (the back yard is also decorated) on Ellicott Place.

More pictures after the jump:

South Main Street

South Lyon Street

Redfield Drive's Christmas trees in nearly every yard.

Belvedere Drive

For Christmas photos tonight, I managed to get around a bit on the north side of town.

Above, Joe Gerace has his place on Vine Street quite lit up.

More pictures after the jump:

Vine Street

Trumbull Parkway

Elm Street

Fordham Drive

Tracy Avenue

Summitt Street

James Dwyer spends most of his year driving coast-to-coast as a long-haul trucker, but for two weeks around Christmas, he gets to stay home, so he parks his truck and drapes strands of more than 400 feet of Christmas lights over it.

The 48-foot-long flatbed trailer is decorated by his wife with various animated characters.

He's been decorating his truck every Christmas for about eight years and he says each year it seems to grow in popularity, with more and more people driving by his Knowlesville Road home to check it out. To get there, take Lewiston Road/Lockport Road in Alabama and head north on Knowlesville.

As part of our ongoing series of local Christmas lights, here are six pictures taken tonight.

Above, Lincoln Avenue.

More after the jump:

Bank Street

Fairmont Avenue

Ellicott Avenue

Lincoln Avenue

Maple Street

Last evening, I took pictures of Christmas lights of several homes on the south side of Batavia. Above a home on Ganson Avenue.

More pictures after the jump:

Osterhout Street

Highland Street

Jackson Street

Hutchins Street

Brian Hillabush started the "tradition" two years ago, and I did my best to continue it last December -- that is, posting pictures of local homes bedecked in Christmas lights.

As time permits between now and Christmas, I'll head out in the evenings in search of Christmas light pictures of homes and businesses (because of the time factor, probably, primarily in Batavia).

Above, a home on Route 5 in Stafford and below, Red Osier, in Stafford.

Jim and Connie DiSalvo have once again lit up their property on Fargo Road for the holidays.

The home is also on today's Holiday Home Tour to benefit Genesee Cancer Assistance (if you want to try and make it out before it ends at 4 p.m., tickets are $10 and still available at Go Art!, corner of Main and Bank).

As for the Christmas lights, Jim said this is the 14th year for the all-out effort to bring some Christmas cheer to local residents who might stop by. He said there are more than one million lights lit on his property and some 400 Christmas-related characters on display.

He's been adding to the number of displays every year, but said this might be as big as it gets.

Many visitors simply drive by (and as usual, there was a long line of cars coming down Fargo last night), but Jim said people are welcome to pull up his driveway and ramble around the new turning circle he's installed. People are also welcome to park, get out and walk around the property (which is really the only way to take in all of the displays and the full splendor of the lights).

Picture of Jim (and Annabella) in front of his house below, and then more pictures after the jump.

The DiSalvo's Christmas light display is always a showstopper. Cars line up and down the length of their property on Fargo Road in Batavia, slowly driving along the shoulder.  People come from all around the county to make sure they get a glimpse of the lights at least once before the end of the season.

Here are some photos to enjoy the decorations at home.  But, if you're looking to fully capture that Christmas spirit and holiday atmosphere, the trip is worth the drive.

Today's example of Chrismas lights comes from Kibbe Ave. The house has plenty of white light, with the side yard having a nice mix of colors and well decorated trees.

I personally love this house on Highland Pk. The lights all around are cool, but check out the hockey player. I has a Sabres logo on his chest, but the blue lights make it look like a Batavia High player.

This home on Jackson St. is very well decorated with the Christmas lights. My favorite part is the tree. I think it is the most originally decorated tree in the city of Batavia.

Today's example is on Walnut St. and a great example of color and variety. 

Today's featured home is on Roosevelt Ave. in Batavia. I believed it was the one recognized by the jaycees earlier in the week.

Lots of variety and color. Well done.

This great example of Christmas lights is right on Route 5 as you leave Batavia heading towards Pembroke. There is a great variety of color. Well worth a look.

Today's home on Allen St. in Batavia caught my eye because of the unique contrast in colors. I think the purple trees to the left stand out and make this one of the more interesting houses in the city. They aren't always purple, as they change colors. I was just lucky enough to capture them when they were purple.

I'm also glad to see the jaycees submitted their winners. I may have to get out and check some of those out tonight.

Today's lights come from Woodcrest Drive in Batavia. I like the two snowmen in front of the trees, with the reindeer in the middle. Cool looking design.

 Today's example goes back to the ordinary home, after a couple of days with massive displays on large properties.

This home on Elm St. in Batavia may be modest in size, but takes full advantage of the given space with plenty of lights and decorations.

Today's Christmas light post is one I found on the ride out to Jim DiSalvo's property on Fargo road. 

This well decorated home is the first one you see when you turn off of Route 5 and onto Fargo. While it may not have the half million bulbs the showcase down the road does, this home has plenty of lights and characters. There is also speakers with Christmas music playing.

(I'm also taking suggestions if anybody has homes they would like to see featured on The Batavian)

"This is part of our Christmas tradition every year."

Those are the words Debbie Renteria yelled to Jim DiSalvo from her car window, as she drove her children around DiSalvo's Stafford property early Friday evening. You could see the smile, and sense of satisfaction on DiSalvo's face.

It is probably something he hears a hundred times a week during the Christmas season, and has for the last 14 years.

DiSalvo started decorating his enormous front yard with lights almost a decade and a half ago and it keeps growing every year.

"It's a lot of fun," said DiSalvo, who is the president of Applied Business Systems and manager of Team America Racing, where his son Jason is a star Superbike rider. "There is nothing I enjoy more than walking outside on a night like this and seeing the cars and the people."

DiSalvo's property is tucked away at 9180 Fargo Road in Stafford, just as you leave Batavia on Route 5, but once you make a sharp turn, you can't miss the decorations.

Almost every tree on the property has lights, there are over a half million bulbs in use and there are over 350 different lighted characters in the yard. Practically every tree has its own power outlet in the ground near it, there are over two miles of underground cable in use, there are an additional 500 extension cords in use and it takes four 200 AMP generators powering the show.

There is also two very large speakers and a 250 watt amp playing Christmas music that can be heard from the street.

DiSalvo has a full light crew that starts putting up the decorations the first week of December and finishes in mid-to-late November. The lights stay up until January 5.

The amount of people that visit Jim, and wife Connie's home is a number that DiSalvo couldn't even estimate. He says that on weekends the traffic is bumper-to-bumper.

"I like to sit in the front yard and watch (the people visit). It's non-stop," DiSalvo said.

The DiSalvo home must have more Christmas spirit than any other location in the area. Last week, the DiSalvos hosted over 300 Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts from the area for hot chocolate, cookies and a tour of the property.

 People often stop and leave gifts on DiSalvo's front porch, and he witnessed one of the most unique acts of the holiday season he has ever seen this past week.

DiSalvo noticed somebody dressed as Santa Claus sitting near a tree in the front yard, so he went to investigate.

"I asked him if he was really Santa," DiSalvo joked.

It turns out that the unidentified man has done this for a couple of years now. He sits in DiSalvo's winter wonderland dressed as Father Christmas with a bag of toys, waiting for his eight year old grandson. The child comes to check out the lights and gets to meet Santa, and receive gifts.

That was an experience that sums up why DiSalvo puts together the biggest display of area Christmas lights.

"It's all for the kids, really," DiSalvo said.

Here is a Flickr page with 23 photos of DiSalvo's Christmas lights, but it is advised that you take the short ride to Fargo Road to get the full effect.