Lighting up the Christmas season

MOSES LAKE - Gerald Curran's seasonal tradition takes a lot of time and energy, but his efforts drench the night in holiday cheer.

His home on North Grape Drive in Moses Lake is covered in more than 8,000 lights and his yard is adorned with everything from a glowing Frosty the Snowman statue to a hand built manger housing the Holy Family.

Curran, who is 65 and retired, said the whole display takes him about four days to put up.

"I do this every year," he said. "In my younger days I probably could have got them up in about a half a day, but I have a bad back. It's a lot of climbing up and down the ladder."

The lights don't add more than a few dollars to his electricity bill and this year Curran's hard work might just yield real dividends.

Village Park Homes, the residential park where Curran lives with his wife of four years is, for the first time, holding a holiday home display contest - with a free month's rent as first prize, $100 off for the runner up.

Next year Curran said he plans to go further, stringing even more lights from a flagpole to create the shape of a tree.