MINNEAPOLIS — We're kicking off a KARE in the Air holiday lights edition that'll highlight neighborhoods going all out to share the holiday spirit.
Hugo
Adelaide Landing
Chris and Amy Dafresne said they were looking for something to do during COVID and wanted to give families something to do, too.
So they got together with neighbors in Adelaide Landing, and now nearly 30 of them all decorate their homes to their own Christmas song, movie or book theme.
People driving by can guess the theme and then scan a QR code to see if they're right. They can also answer a trivia question or watch a video related to that theme.
And along with good fun: A good cause. They also collect donations for Hugo's Good Neighbor food shelf.
White Bear Lake
5427 Hugo Road
Brandon Jacobsen says he started wrapping windows to look like presents, and things just progressed from there.
He and his girlfriend, Becky Jackson, say they spend about 80 hours getting things set up, which could be why they keep the decorations up all the way through January.
Brandon says that time of year can be boring — and dark — and it just "looks better" with lights.
Stillwater
1303 Fourth Street South
Michelle Bracewell-Musson has an adult son with special needs who loves decorating. They went all out for Halloween, so it's no surprise they turned their house into a winter wonderland for the holiday season.
Chad, Michelle's son, loves giving tours. There's a letter drop off for kids writing Santa, and they collect donations to some of Chad's favorite places, including the local theater and friendship club.
Michelle says decorating has changed Chad's life, and she feels it also spreads the "holiday spirit" to the people who pass by.
Roseville
1994 Herschel St.
This house — dubbed "Candy Cane Lane"— even has its own Facebook page.
The Joyces say people simply driving by miss one of the most unique parts of their display, which is a walking path meandering right through the middle.
Meredith Joyce says they did this for her mom, who died suddenly in 2019. She said her mom loved lights.
And the question everyone always wants to know: How much is their energy bill?
The Joyces say almost all the lights are LED, and they pay just about $50 more, on average, during the month of December.
Cottage Grove
7788 Jasmine Avenue South
Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey says he's actually called "Mayor Christmas" because of his holiday spirit. He said he's loved decorating with lights since he was a kid.
9055 Indian Boulevard South
The TeGantvoort family said their light displays used to be about how many lights, but now they've focused on synchronizing the lights to music. They have to run "miles" of extension cords to make it all work.
9658 Indian Boulevard Court
The Krumrie family is all about the blow molds -- the hard plastic figurines. They have 300 of them placed around their yard. But how do they store them when they're not on display? The family says they store them in a shed, under their deck, and a facility off-site they keep some of them in the "off-season."
Minneapolis
33rd Street & 30th Avenue South
Kirk Haugan tells us he moved back into his childhood home several years ago and began coordinating with his neighbor Gary Wald to "bring joy to people."
He says he's most proud of the window displays and the donations they collect.
If you have a neighborhood you'd like us to check out, reach out to us via social media.
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