Top 5 Reasons to Vote in Patch's 'Deck the House' Contest

Help us bring $100,000 to a St. Louis area school district by voting in our holiday lights contest.

Patch is holding a national contest to find the best "decked" house, and a St. Louis area home has made the finals! (For instant news updates follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter.)  The Dolans, a family in Affton-Shrewsbury Patch, are in the Top 25 of the Deck the House contest, fighting for votes to win the $100,000 grand prize for the Affton School District. VOTE HERE! To win, they'll need your vote! Here are the top five reasons why you should vote right now and every day for the Dolan's dazzling holiday light display: 5. The Dolans won 5th place in the Deck the House contest last year. Being so close to victory has only pushed this family to work harder! 4. The Dolans use so much electricity to power their holiday lights that they …

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Ask the Patch Pro: Seeking Holiday Decorating Experts

Patch is looking for experts who can share their expertise on lights, sales, party planning and more.

Christmas lights, Santa and snowmen are popping up throughout most of our neighborhoods now that it's December.  Patch wants to help find the answers to all your questions about decorating for your work holiday party, putting lights on your house and local deals to help you decorate your home, but we need a little help.  In the latest edition of "Ask the Patch Pro" we need local experts who can answer readers' questions and offer advice. If you are consider yourself a local expert and can answer these questions and more, let us know two ways. One: You can leave a comment on this post along with your emal address. Two: You can send an email to jordan.lanham@patch.com. We need experts to answer questions on Thursday, Dec. 6.  Curious as to …

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Jordan Lanham

2:11 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Hi Brian! Thanks for the question! I'm no expert, but O'Fallon Patch is doing a "12 Days of Christmas" in O'Fallon shopping guide. Here's a link: http://patch.com/A-0cvc   more ›

Share Your Best Holiday Decorations Photos in Our Contest

Share your pictures in this category of our Patch Holiday Photos contest.

Enter Patch's “Deck the House” Contest To Win $100,000 For Public Schools

Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!

How to Decorate Your House Without Getting Up On a Metal Ladder

Several local companies are available to hang Christmas lights on your house. They take them down after the holidays are over, too.

For some families, "decking the halls with boughs of holly" is a warm and fuzzy Christmas tradition, with all family members participating in decorating the Christmas tree and otherwise putting out all of the home holiday decorations. (For instant news updates follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter.) But there's not a lot of fa-la-la-la-la-ing" involved for the person standing on a metal extension ladder on a cold and windy day, untangling stubborn strands of Christmas lights and attaching them to the gutters. Some companies have made a business out of a sometimes irritable task of stringing Christmas lights on your home. Green Print Lawncare is a Barnhart lawn service company in the spring and summer, but it hangs lights during the holiday …

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