A certain kind of sparkle

Greenfield - Donald Polinske could have probably taken it easy this year.

Instead of bundling up against the cold, climbing onto the roof and dressing his yard with lights for 10 hours, he could have opted to stay inside, kick back by the TV and let someone else's yard embody the suburban spirit of Christmas.

After all, he's not eligible for this year for the city's Holiday Lights Contest.

Polinske, 58, won last year for his display near 35th Street and College Avenue. This year, the other half of the city - all the homes west of 76th Street - will be eligible for the kind of bragging rights that only come once a year.

"I told my wife jokingly, 'I won't have to put lights up this year.' But that won't happen. They're going up. Oh yeah, they're going up," Polinske said.

A wide-open contest

For nearly 15 years, the city's Beautification Committee has chosen the three best decorated homes in the city for the Holiday Lights Contest. It's meant as a counterpart to the city's summer landscaping contest, which recognizes the two best kept properties in each of six districts.

"There's no application," explained Gil Malone, who manages the contest. "There's no entry fee or anything. Just put your decorations up."

Each year, judges each pick two or three favorites in their area. Then, they get together as a group to pick the top three overall.

This year, individual judging should start around Dec. 7, with group judging expected the following week. Winners should be announced by Dec. 19. Each winner gets a plaque and pictures of each winning home are posted on the beautification committee's website, www.gbcinfo.org.

Surprised winners

It was a contest Polinske didn't even know existed, until his house was chosen last year as the No. 1 best decorated house in eastern Greenfield.

Roger Block was equally surprised when he found out his home was No. 3 last year on the judges' list.

"We had no idea about it," said Block, 60, who lives near 60th and Forest Home. "At first, I thought it was some kind of a hoax or, if not a hoax, then someone trying to find out information about us."

Once he realized what was really going on, Block relaxed a bit. He even learned that it wasn't the first time the beautification committee had come calling in his area; a neighbor won the contest a few years before, Block said.

After Polinske heard he'd won, he jokingly wondered what took judges so long to find him.

"I was thinking to myself, 'It's about time.' But that's not the reason I do it. I do it for my self-satisfaction, my family, my grandkids. And, now, my wife expects it."

Decorative for decades

Polinske has been decking out his house with Christmas lights for more than 20 years. Each year, he starts preparing before the weather turns bad. But the lights never go up until after Thanksgiving.

"It can be miserable. There are times when it gets too cold and I ask myself, 'Why am I doing this now? Why don't you do this when it's warmer?' But I just don't want to rush change of seasons," Polinske said.

There's seldom any plan for Polinske's decorations, although he tries to add something new every year.

Last year, that meant 24-inch, light-up snowflakes for two of his roof peaks. This year, he hopes to get the 18-inch snowflake to fill the smallest peak on his roof.

There are no inflatable Santas in Polinske's yard.

"That's tacky," he said.

But Polinske wishes he could find some animated figures to complement the mostly white lights that dangle from the roof peaks and trim, the coordinating red, green and white lights on his bushes and the smattering of colored lights that fill a few other spaces in the yard.

Lighted up by season

Block is also somewhat of a purist. He, too, waits until Thanksgiving, whatever the weather.

"I'll put them up in 5 degrees, 10 degrees. There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Just bundle up and put them up," Block said.

The job has gotten a little easier since Block started hanging his lights from a combination of aluminum nails and plastic clips, which he pre-drilled with holes. White lights on white cords get strung through the white clips, which are themselves left up all year long and blend in with the house's white trim.

These days, there's more LED lights in Block's display - the same is true for Polinske; both men have been transitioning to more energy efficient lights for the last few years - but there still is no master plan for just how the yard will look.

And, Block said, that's perfectly fine with him.

"I just like the lights. My dad used to do it, and I just grew up that way. It makes people happy. It brightens other people's days when they go by," he said.

Polinske feels the same.

"I love seeing the lights. I love the Christmas atmosphere. It gets me all giddy."