Show Holiday Spirit And Help Your Schools

'Tis the season to decorate your home with bright displays of holiday cheer, all the better for Santa — or astronauts — to see your  decked-out shack. Patch has noticed and wants to shine a light on anyone willing to show off their holiday spirit.

In between shopping, cooking and mailing holiday cards, get out your  lights and ladders! Whether your style is sophisticated or silly, we want you to dress up your house in the name of good cheer and our  kids. Running through Monday, Dec. 26, you have a chance to prove that Union County towns have the best holiday spirit, so  post those videos and photos and get in the running for the "Deck The  House" contest. Then, from Dec. 30 through Jan. 8 you will be able to vote for the "Best Decked House" in all of Patch.

The grand prize winner’s school district will receive a $100,000 check from Patch.

So, get out your lights and ladders (and your competitive spirit)! Whether   your style is sophisticated or silly, we want you to dress up your house in the name of good cheer and our kids. At the very least, Westfield, will be decked out like it’s never been before. And if we win, what better gift could we give to Westfield kids?

So, if you want to show up your neighbors, and get help with your electric bill, you can upload photos or videos of your holiday lights. We at Patch will collect all the images from more than 800 sites around the country and deliver them to a panel of judges. The judges will sip eggnog and sift through the entries, eventually selecting 24 finalists who will win up to $500 to offset their December electric bills. But the grand-prize winner will get the biggest present under the tree — a $100,000 contribution to Westfield public schools!

Check out the local competition by logging on to deckthehouse.patch.com/contest/westfield.