AUBURN - In the 11 days between Charles Schulz's retirement from drawing the Peanuts cartoon strip and Christmas day in 1999, Rosina Wilczek had sketched out seven members of the gang, painted them with her husband's help and placed the wood cutouts on her lawn at the Auburn city corner of North Marvine Avenue and Franklin Street.
Amaris Elliott-Engel / The Citizen
The gingerbread tone of 2 Melrose Road, Owasco, first inspired the Splane family's Christmas extravaganza when they moved into the house seven years ago.
The gingerbread tone of 2 Melrose Road, Owasco, first inspired the Splane family's Christmas extravaganza when they moved into the house seven years ago.
Another inspiration for the creation of the effigies who have caroled on her lawn, was her young son's love of the piano-playing Schroeder character.
“She couldn't find any Schroeder character, so she made all of them,” said Alex, 9, who likes Schroeder because “he's an expert piano player.”
The original seven have been joined by three more Peanuts. One time, Snoopy was decapitated and his head had to be replaced. It has become so popular that parents will have their children pose with the characters and snap photographs to use for their Christmas cards, Wilczek said.
Wilczek has suggested making cutouts of another theme, but her husband, Mike, and Alex refuse to change their annual front yard winter landscape.
“The Peanuts gang never gets old,” Wilczek said.
The Wilczeks are not alone in making above-board efforts to decorate their homes for the holiday seasons.
Cheryl and John Farrington, who reside at 49 First Ave., Owasco, decorate their two-story home for every major holiday: there is a blow-up spider on the roof for Halloween, a blowup rabbit for Easter and a blowup turkey for Thanksgiving.
But for Christmas, they topped it with five blowup characters on their lawn: the Grinch, a snowman, a new blow-up innovation this year; a snowman inside of a globe with blowing snow, Mickey Mouse and Santa Claus. A pine tree is hung with lighted candy canes bought for a bargain last year at Eckerd's. Another pine tree is a classic Christmas sight with white lights and dozens of red bows.
The reason: “Four grandchildren we have come here,” said Cheryl. “We try to make it festive for them, but we're the real kids.”
The higher price of electricity this winter doesn't matter that much when the cost of five fans for five blowup dolls kicks in just after they shut off the heat for their ground pool, said John.
While each of those blowup figures can run up to $65 and many of those other decorations can be pricey, John has been a bargain shopper for his holiday items, buying them when they go on sale right before and after Christmas.
James Splane Sr., the mastermind behind 2 Melrose Road, Owasco's lawn of Christmas eye candy, said he has also “price-searched for years. Lowe's is by far the best.” He found the tall lighted candy canes that form an arch with some lighted bells on his porch from Lowe's Home Improvement store. Splane finds percent of the lights at Wal-Mart.”
Retailers are happy to provide Christmas decorators like Farrington and Splane with enticing, varied options.
At Jo-Ann stores, shoppers have been able to buy dozens of items like lights, stockings, tree skirts, ornaments and table top decorations in matching color schemes. The stores have offered pink and black schemes, cream and sage, light powder blue and burgundy. A blue- and silver-colored theme was a top seller this year, said Carl Runge, a store team leader at the Fayetteville Jo-Ann store.
However, the traditional red-and-green scheme will likely never be deposed, he said.
“I wouldn't say it would ever outsell red and green, but it did really well,” Runge said.
While the bargain shopping helps the aggressive Christmas decorator save some money, the bottom-line of going through the whole effort is other people's enjoyment.
When Splane scaled back the decorations in 2004, he heard from disappointed neighbors. “Now there's an obligation to the community” after decorating the house for seven years, Splane said.
“When I sell the house I've got to sell it with the lights and with the instructions,” Splane added with a laugh.
The construction supervisor by trade, made the lighted Merry Christmas sign topping his roof by hand. Green lights outline the roof with a hint of a gingerbread house on it. Red and white icicles hang from the roof's bottom edge. Santa and his reindeer slide down the roof of a shed. A nativity scene, bears, Gingerbread men, and two deer pulling a sleigh fill up the yard. It's almost too much to look at.
Splane buys new lights for the front of the house every year because previous year's batches don't cast the same brilliance.
Even with higher electrical bills this year, “you can't stop putting up Christmas lights. You can't,” said Splane's wife, Robin, a homemaker who is the troubleshooter for all of the lights.
Splane's son, James Jr., said he likes the lights just as much as the neighbors do.
“You know people enjoy it when you see the flashes through the window,” he said.
Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net
“She couldn't find any Schroeder character, so she made all of them,” said Alex, 9, who likes Schroeder because “he's an expert piano player.”
The original seven have been joined by three more Peanuts. One time, Snoopy was decapitated and his head had to be replaced. It has become so popular that parents will have their children pose with the characters and snap photographs to use for their Christmas cards, Wilczek said.
Wilczek has suggested making cutouts of another theme, but her husband, Mike, and Alex refuse to change their annual front yard winter landscape.
“The Peanuts gang never gets old,” Wilczek said.
The Wilczeks are not alone in making above-board efforts to decorate their homes for the holiday seasons.
Cheryl and John Farrington, who reside at 49 First Ave., Owasco, decorate their two-story home for every major holiday: there is a blow-up spider on the roof for Halloween, a blowup rabbit for Easter and a blowup turkey for Thanksgiving.
But for Christmas, they topped it with five blowup characters on their lawn: the Grinch, a snowman, a new blow-up innovation this year; a snowman inside of a globe with blowing snow, Mickey Mouse and Santa Claus. A pine tree is hung with lighted candy canes bought for a bargain last year at Eckerd's. Another pine tree is a classic Christmas sight with white lights and dozens of red bows.
The reason: “Four grandchildren we have come here,” said Cheryl. “We try to make it festive for them, but we're the real kids.”
The higher price of electricity this winter doesn't matter that much when the cost of five fans for five blowup dolls kicks in just after they shut off the heat for their ground pool, said John.
While each of those blowup figures can run up to $65 and many of those other decorations can be pricey, John has been a bargain shopper for his holiday items, buying them when they go on sale right before and after Christmas.
James Splane Sr., the mastermind behind 2 Melrose Road, Owasco's lawn of Christmas eye candy, said he has also “price-searched for years. Lowe's is by far the best.” He found the tall lighted candy canes that form an arch with some lighted bells on his porch from Lowe's Home Improvement store. Splane finds percent of the lights at Wal-Mart.”
Retailers are happy to provide Christmas decorators like Farrington and Splane with enticing, varied options.
At Jo-Ann stores, shoppers have been able to buy dozens of items like lights, stockings, tree skirts, ornaments and table top decorations in matching color schemes. The stores have offered pink and black schemes, cream and sage, light powder blue and burgundy. A blue- and silver-colored theme was a top seller this year, said Carl Runge, a store team leader at the Fayetteville Jo-Ann store.
However, the traditional red-and-green scheme will likely never be deposed, he said.
“I wouldn't say it would ever outsell red and green, but it did really well,” Runge said.
While the bargain shopping helps the aggressive Christmas decorator save some money, the bottom-line of going through the whole effort is other people's enjoyment.
When Splane scaled back the decorations in 2004, he heard from disappointed neighbors. “Now there's an obligation to the community” after decorating the house for seven years, Splane said.
“When I sell the house I've got to sell it with the lights and with the instructions,” Splane added with a laugh.
The construction supervisor by trade, made the lighted Merry Christmas sign topping his roof by hand. Green lights outline the roof with a hint of a gingerbread house on it. Red and white icicles hang from the roof's bottom edge. Santa and his reindeer slide down the roof of a shed. A nativity scene, bears, Gingerbread men, and two deer pulling a sleigh fill up the yard. It's almost too much to look at.
Splane buys new lights for the front of the house every year because previous year's batches don't cast the same brilliance.
Even with higher electrical bills this year, “you can't stop putting up Christmas lights. You can't,” said Splane's wife, Robin, a homemaker who is the troubleshooter for all of the lights.
Splane's son, James Jr., said he likes the lights just as much as the neighbors do.
“You know people enjoy it when you see the flashes through the window,” he said.
Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net
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