Judging for this year's Bright Lights of Blayney Shire really tested the three judges as they scored the record 18 homes that entered.
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Not only did it test the judges, for 2020 winners the Bright family on Plumb Street the weather has been causing some installation problems.
"Whenever we planned to set them up it was either really hot, incredibly windy or raining," said chief designer Kylie Bright.
This year the family has added a few new features to their display including a bubble fountain and reindeer and they've also moved one of their popular displays so the community has easy access.
"The sleigh is now in the drive so that families can have their photo taken and we encourage everyone to do so," Matt Bright said.
New homes were particularly well appointed this year but it was the old favourites, with years of Bright Lights experience behind them, who won the day.
In second place Ros and Michael Handcock's Napier Street property improves in design every year.
Karen Boundy on Frape Street took out third place with a display that each year also improves on the previous one.
This year the homes were judged using three new criteria, theme and design, distinctive and memorable, and overall presentation.
The new criteria means that more weighting is given to a display that shows balance and harmony rather than those with a large number of lights and displays, it also rewards those that create a unique and memorable display.
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The judges all agreed that the extraordinary effort that each participant made really elevated the competition this year.
The street prize went to Unwin Street in Millthorpe and the highly commended went to Nancy Sheard's spectacular walk through garden display on Stirling Place.
Mark Logan
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
