Real Estate

Who won our Deck the Halls holiday decorating contest?

(Credit: Grant Parpan)
(Credit: Grant Parpan)

The Berry family

345 Willow Pond Lane, Southold

Average score: 8.8

As we dove in to each of the entries in our Deck the Halls contest, there were often moments we laid eyes on a beautiful display and said “Wow!”

No house had that effect quite like the home of George and Sandy Berry.

Unfortunately, not many people on the North Fork know about this gem, which is tucked away off Main Bayview Road. But it’s worth the detour.

Mr. Berry began taking his Christmas decorating to the next level about 20 years ago, after previously stringing lights along a front hedge. He now spends three weeks setting up for Christmas.

He does it mostly to see the joy his 12 grandchildren and five great-grandkids get from it. The neighborhood kids get a kick out of his decorations, too.

“They’re here all the time running around,” he said.

Five judges placed the Berry house in a first-place tie. Three assigned it a perfect score.

“It really looked like a wonderland,” said judge Sonja Reinholt Derr.

Judge Melanie Drozd was particularly impressed by the interior design, which featured Christmas villages and a Lionel train set Ms. Berry received for her first birthday.

“I could have stayed there for hours,” she wrote.