STEPPING OUT: Annual light tour makes Petaluma merry and bright

December in America is the season of electricity, the magical month of light bulbs, a time for inflatable lawn decorations, artificial icicles and sweet, shimmering shrubbery. From just before Thanksgiving to just after New Year’s, as one travels along the average residential Petaluma street, you can’t walk or drive far before discovering a house or front yard crammed with painted plywood, glittering trees, effigies of Santa Claus, and all manner of strangely glowing plastic items.

Some of these displays are there purely to bring delight and beauty to the neighborhood. Some are a demonstration of Christmas spirit and sheer DIY inventiveness.

And some are competing for a gift certificate from Sprouts and the title of People’s Choice Winner.

Among Petaluma’s many annual traditions is the popular Holiday Lights Driving Tour, sponsored by the Petaluma Visitors’ Center. Applicants who sign up in the fall are placed on a special map, downloadable from the Visit Petaluma website. Right around Thanksgiving, scores of Petalumans pack their cars with pillows, kids, and hot chocolate in travel mugs, and tour the lights, then go to the website to vote for their favorite displays.

In the past, up to 50 homes competed for the title. But this year, that number has dropped to just 14 competitors. For what it’s worth, though, it takes just over three hours to visit all 14, and allow a few minutes of gawking at each location. So, you know, fourteen might not seem like a lot, but it’s actually the perfect amount for a single evening of light-watching.

Therefore, here - should you require a few hints as to what you’ll be experiencing - is the full list of competitors for 2017, divided into four quadrants (NW, SW, NE, SE), along with our own suggestions as to which home-dwellers are really bringing the magic this year.

As mentioned above, there are lots of other great displays in town that aren’t on the tour, so allow yourself some extra time to poke around and follow the lights, wherever they lead you.

And if you happen to see any of the people who put their time, energy and PG&E budget into making their town merry and bright, don’t forget to say, ‘Thank you.’

1803 Hartman Lane (North East Petaluma) - Michael Cruchon

Exceptional theatricality highlights this exuberant and gorgeous display. Clever and varied lighting combines with animals, trees, and fantasy figures. It’s beautiful. One of the best of the tour.

1907 Winchester Lane (North East Petaluma) - Tim Williamsen

Plenty of clever plywood characters here, including Santa trying to escape a pants-biting dog. Some of the display is a bit under-lit at night, but there’s plenty of whimsy to see during the daytime.

917 Claret Court (North East Petaluma) - The Rappaport family

Easily one of the most impressive displays on the tour, it features dozens of plywood characters from the Flintstones and Spongebob to a bunch of snowmen dress like KISS. There is a LOT to see at this one, including a train display in the garage, so definitely plan to park and look around.

1792 Northstar Drive (North East Petaluma) - Larry Giannecchini and Pam Gambonini

The yard is covered in lights from one end to the other, including the lawn. Simple, but lovely.

109 Rose Petal Court (North East Petaluma) - Grant and June Whited

Sweet light design across a beautifully landscaped yard, elegantly simple but effective, with a fun inflatable Santa perched in an airplane, ready for take-off.

2029 Cross Creek St. (South East Petaluma) - Tom and Betsy Kieman

Candy canes, angels, santas and other Christmas iconography combines with attractive lights and tree festooned with over-sized ornaments.

1292 St. Francis Drive (South East Petaluma) - Hansen family

A gingerbread house theme runs through this outrageously energetic display, packed with great selfie photo opportunities, featuring candy canes, gingerbread people, gum drops, and more. Another must see.

1460 Pheasant Drive (South East Petaluma) - Joe Chapman

Multicolored lights cover the hedges and trees. One of the simpler displays on the tour, but magical and colorful enough to bring a smile to your face.

1505 Meadowlark Lane (South East Petaluma) - Robert Thein

Santa drives a Jeep, covered in lights, being led up onto the roof by eight shimmering reindeer. The giddy sense of humor and sheer inventive spectacle of this one make it another must visit on the tour.

49 Wilmington Drive (North West Petaluma) - Dan Finger

An enormous inflatable Santa towers over this display, which features a number of other inflatables, some clever light design - including coordinated lights bouncing through arches - and a sign suggesting viewers tune into 88.7 FM to listen to some jazz as they watch the lights.

?91 Wilmington Drive (North West Petaluma) - Ray and Sandy Hernandez

Lots to see here, from Santa selling fish tacos from an inflatable food truck, to glowing cats prowling here and there, to Santa and Mrs. Santa mannequins perched by the garage, to myriad tin soldiers, snowmen, and polar bears, to Santa taking some private time in an outhouse. Christmas music playing through speakers is a nice value-added touch.

4 Zayda Lane (North West Petaluma) - Jeffrey Doyle

Making the most of a small yard and compact house, this dazzling display combines swaths of glittering lights with numerous inflatables, most of them grouped into themes. There’s the Minion’s Corner, the Star Wars Corner, and the Arctic Corner (polar bears and reindeer), with piped-in music to elevate the entertainment factor. Parking is tricky in the small complex, but worth a little searching, just for the chance to stand and enjoy the spectacle close up.

601 8th St. (South West Petaluma) - Nygaard family

As a large, adorable polar bear looks out from the living room window, this exuberant display resembles the work of magical Christmas spiders, weaving a dazzling web of lights that stretch across the yard and even form a kind of archway over the sidewalk. Little surprises are tucked in here and there across the yard. Beavis and Butthead, for some reason, are also present, but you have to look for them.

5 Wallenberg Way (South West Petaluma) - Anthony and Heather Campbell

A huge house, with a display to match it in sheer size and opulence. Enormous white reindeer pull an oversized sleigh, plywood elves declare Santa’s imminent arrival, glowing candy canes stick up like signposts, and a blanket of white lights covers part of the lawn, meeting another blanket of blue. This is a don’t miss.

(Contact David at david.templeton@arguscourier.com)