Enter Our Deck the House Contest

This is Joliet. J-Town. City of Champions. So, why has not one resident entered our Deck the House contest? You can win $500 for yourself and $100,000 for your school district.

Really, you have no excuse. Plainfield has seven entries. Even Channahon-Minooka, whose combined population is just a fraction of Joliet's, has two entries.

I spent some time driving around the city Thursday. I saw some beautifully decorated houses. I also saw some obnoxiously overdecorated houses. One of my favorites is the home in the subdivision across from Joliet Junior College that had a simple strand of white lights along the roof line and a candle in every single window.

I know there are lots of traditions that place a single candle in the window over the holidays. For me, though, I could not help but think of my half Irish, half English grandmother who did so every year to indicate that her home welcomed visitors and wished travelers well.

I also met the Potter family, who I really hope to be able to do a more in-depth story on in the future. This family loves Christmas so much they have a tree in every room. But standing at their front door, this decorating was beautifully done and not at all obnoxious.

I want to see some Joliet entries on our page. Enter your own house. Tell your neighbors and have them enter. The contest page can be found by clicking here.