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First Place Traditional, Tori and Trey Webber house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

First Place Traditional, Tori and Trey Webber house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Second Place Traditional, Rosalie and Brent Smith house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Second Place Traditional, Rosalie and Brent Smith house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

First Place Non-Traditional, Nicholas Carrol house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

First Place Non-Traditional, Nicholas Carrol house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Second Place Non-Traditional, Angie Knapick house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Honorable Mention, Dewitt Wyatt house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Honorable Mention, Dewitt Wyatt house (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

VIDALIA, La. — A handful of neighborhood residents in Vidalia were surprised Sunday evening with a sign in their front yard and a tap on their front door, where two Vidalia Garden Club ladies presented them with an ornament and some with a gift card.

This was the Vidalia Garden Club’s way of saying thank you to the residents for showing Christmas spirit by way of decorating their yards and houses.

Vidalia Garden Club President Cindy Galloway said this has been a tradition of the garden club for many decades, but it seems this year more are decorating for the holidays than ever before.

“We’ve spent the last several weeks going into every neighborhood and not just in the city limits,” she said. “We went to some neighborhoods close by but outside of town.”

The garden club chose the best-decorated houses in traditional and non-traditional categories to present with gifts.

“First place receives a gift certificate to a local restaurant and a custom ornament from the Vidalia Beautification Committee handmade by Aimee Guido,” said Pam Morace of the garden club. “Second place just receives the ornaments and the all get a sign for their yard to show that they won.”

Listed here are the winners in the 2022 Vidalia Garden Club Christmas Lighting Contest:

·      First Place Traditional goes to Tori and Trey Webber with a beautiful display of Christmas wreaths in each window, illuminated trees circling their house and driveway and a small humorous touch — and inflatable Santa dangling from the roof as if he took a fall.

·      Second Place Traditional goes to Rosalie and Brent Smith with a large and carefully spotlighted nativity scene made of solid white wood cutouts and bright lights forming a pathway up to their house and surrounding their semi-circle driveway. Round hedges are illuminated like giant gumdrops and a lighted snowman greets passersby at the North Pole.

·      First Place Non-Traditional goes to Nicholas Carrol, who not only decorated his own house but assisted his elderly neighbors in decorating so that their cul de sac is lit up like a winter wonderland. Carrol’s house has cutouts of scenes from Charlie Brown Christmas.

·      Second Place Non-Traditional goes to Angie Knapick who has turned her front yard into Whoville. The Grinch grins mischievously next to his sleigh filled with Christmas presents and décor while Cindy Lou, with her bright blue eyes, smiles up at him holding a tree ornament.

·      Honorable Mention goes to Dewitt Wyatt with a yard full of inflatables with moving lights inside them. Among them are a whimsical inflatable of Santa riding a ski boat being towed by a large-mouth bass, several snowmen, Mickey Mouse and Olaf from Frozen.

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