The Harrowfield Christmas lights competition is a much-loved fixture on Hamilton's Christmas calendar.
This year Lodge Real Estate again sponsored the competition and upped the stakes by putting up $2000 in cash to be split among the winners.
Lodge branch manager Richard Lindsay, his wife Monica and I were invited to judge the entries last Wednesday.
![An elf and his trusty friend at the winning house at 34 Harrowfield Drive.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/523TTFEZVNWEL3BNCLHNPQLY6A.jpg?auth=e7b7973fbcd5d38877ea0da083200ccd09a02c493b2ca9de0e84f69050078e1a&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
We were suitably impressed with the effort families had gone to, as I'm sure the hundreds of other Hamiltonians were who had turned up to see the lights. Cars playing Christmas carols toured the area along with a trio of packed buses while others strolled the streets together admiring the festive decorations.