Driving through the Winterhaven neighborhood in central Tucson this morning, you'd see kids out playing in the sunshine, neighbors waving to each other and a teen-age boy with the unhappy job of mowing the lawn.
You'd also see dangling extension cords, deflated snowmen and more sprinklers than snow.
But by tonight, of course, it will all be a sparkling winter wonderland.
The neighborhood goes all-out every year to decorate with lights, snow and figurines for the Winterhaven Festival of Lights.
Besides generating "oohs" and "aahs," the annual event collected $23,000 and 33,000 pounds of food for the Community Food Bank last year.
The Star checked in with a couple of residents this morning to see how the preparations are coming along.
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'Every year we blow fuses'
Holly Wright, who has lived in the same house in the heart of the neighborhood for all of her 25 years, had her decorating done last weekend but then changed her mind about the display. She was starting over this morning.
"We noticed we have a lot of broken light bulbs, so instead of replacing them, we decided to use them in the display. It's going to be kind of a joke," she said.
Forty-four strands of broken lights were strewn across her lawn, and she'll be painting a sign that says: "We broke under pressure."
It will take all day to set up. "You have to wait 'til it's dark to see what it looks like, and every year we blow fuses," Wright said.
What does the electric bill look like? "It's not that bad. We only keep the light on until 10," Wright said.
Is it impossible to make a quick trip to the grocery store? "It's not fun coming in or out. It takes probably 30 minutes. We have special passes," Wright said. "Drive-through nights, you either stay in or you stay out."
'Our favorite time of year'
Jeff Miller, who grew up in Winterhaven and now owns a house there, put up some lights last weekend on his home and on the very large neighborhood trees, but he was waiting until security patrols started today to get the job done.
There are thefts and vandalism every year, he said.
"I was at Home Depot at quarter-to-7 picking up supplies for my snow machine, and odds and ends, extension cords and lights," he said. Lots of this year's lights were bought in year-end close-out sales last year.
Today his family will set up inflatable characters, set up the snow maker, and decorate the yard — which was already lined with a picket fence made of 3-foot tall candy canes and ribbon. It takes a couple of weekends to set it up and about six hours to take it all down, he said.
During the year, the decor fills up his garage and a closet, floor to ceiling.
"We put up quite a bit because we have such a large yard," Miller said. "Over the years, we've bought enough stuff to cover our whole yard. But we love it! It's our favorite time of year."
If you go
When: walk through from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., today through Dec. 26
Where: Fort Lowell Road and Country Club Road
Cost: Free, but bring items to donate to the food bank
What's new this year: A game to guess the number of Grinches hidden in displays, and vendors selling kettle corn and hot drinks to raise money for the annual event.
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