LYNNFIELD — This weekend’s Third Annual Light Up Lynnfield holiday decorating contest and home tours may look a little different this year, but the message of spreading goodwill and cheer is still going strong in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s not the same as the trolleys, but it promises to be as festive and joyful as we can in view of the circumstances,” said Recreation Commission Chairman Rich Sjoberg. “We wanted to make it free so everyone could get a chance to do something together in a safe way to keep the tradition going and we are confident that our families will have a great time again this year.”
The event has been re-tooled to maximize safety. Instead of the wildly-popular Salem Trolley cars, the event features a series of motor vehicle caravans, starting at the Lynnfield Middle School, that will snake their way across town past this year’s entries.
The event, which begins Friday night, concludes on Saturday (when Santa will make an appearance). Everyone is restricted to their own vehicles, which will tour the town in groups of 10 at pre-assigned times starting between 5 and 6:30 p.m.
For those who missed registration, another great way to get in on the holiday fun is to pack the family in the old minivan and take your own personalized tour to check out the holiday lights, many of whom have entered this year’s contest. Lynnfield Rec has posted maps and addresses of all entries on its website to give everyone a chance to conduct their own tours.
For a third straight year, the number of contest entries has increased. Last year there were 22 entries, while this year there are 42. The People’s Choice awards will be announced Monday. Residents can vote for their favorites through Monday night on the department’s website, https://lynnfieldma.myrec.com/.
Sjoberg said he expected an increase in entries, but was nonetheless surprised at the number.
“We had so many entries that we had to adjust by using three separate tour routes because there were too many for just one, even two,” Sjoberg said. “This way, everyone will get to see a little more than one-third of the homes. Everyone who registered will get a map of all of the routes so they will be able to know where the homes are located in case they want to do their own tours.”
Salem Street couple Corey Mendonca and Emily Sullivan had their decorations up before Thanksgiving. The winner of the 2019 Clark W. Griswold Viewers’ Choice Award, their display features a replica of the iconic Griswold family station wagon, complete with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof along with an entire front yard full of colorful and cleverly designed Christmas inflatables, cottages, lights, oversized candy canes, trees, Grinches, Santas and more.
In addition to several new displays, the couple has added a charitable twist to this year’s design — the “Winter Wonderland at 371 Salem Street Toys for Tots” dropoff station.
Through Dec. 10, residents are encouraged to share their good fortune and brighten the Christman season for families in need by making a toy donation. It’s easy to do as the kiosk is located right off Salem Street making for a contact-free dropoff. Even Santa Claus is getting in on the holiday spirit of giving with a special appearance on Saturday.
Mendonca said the idea to hold the drive was not something the couple had planned in advance.
“I was just kind of joking around and I just said why not have a Toys for Tots drive, but I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Mendonca. “I ended up calling Toys for Tots and they told me I could make my own bin and I did.”
Mendonca said Sullivan works at Shaws and the store donated an old pumpkin bin to the cause. The couple decorated the bin and had it up and running just a couple of days after Thanksgiving.
Mendonca said toys suitable for any age from babies through teens are welcome. Toys must be unwrapped and new.
“Anybody who needs help no matter what the age we want to be able to give away,” he said. “So far we’ve been pretty successful. I think we are averaging about 20-ish toys a day, so I’m so thankful for all the support and kindness that this community has!”
A special Rec holiday video produced by Bryan Mallett with images of in-town holiday scenes along with a Christmas carol sing-along will be posted on the department’s social media pages this weekend. Also, residents are encouraged to visit the department’s website to cast their votes in the annual Gingerbread House contest.
