The homes shine so brightly

Balboa Island resident Gay Wassall-Kelly remembers the first year her family participated in Newport Beach’s Ring of Lights Waterfront Home Decorating competition.

“We didn’t even know there was a ring of lights [competition], and we won a prize!” Wassall-Kelly said with a laugh. “We kept growing and growing from there.”

The competition has really grown on Wassall-Kelly. Seriously. While pedestrians and sailors will gaze at the 50 or 60 homes around Newport Harbor decorated for Christmas, likely only one will offer a decoration like Wassall-Kelly’s.

That’s because she’ll don her infamous Christmas tree costume, where she’s wrapped up in Christmas lights and charged with batteries to shine through the night. It’s something organizers and residents have come to look forward every year.

When combined with her home’s decorations, which are becoming more and more elaborate each year, organizers wouldn’t be surprised if she won a prize again this year.

“It’s just the people, they come from all over and they’re in awe,” Wassall-Kelly said.

She’ll have some stiff competition though, organizers said.

“If a home can be seen by the water, then it’ll be eligible,” said competition Chairman Ralph Rodheim. “There’s a home on Sapphire Street on Balboa Island that is one house in. Spectacular.”

The Ring of Lights competition complements the 101-year-old Christmas Boat Parade.

“For 101 years, the boats have been decorated and the people on shore have always enjoyed the boats, but the boats have never really gotten to enjoy the homes,” said Jessica Quadra of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, which is hosting the competition.

Only in the last couple decades have homes shone as bright as the boats, Rodheim said.

Not only are homes in the competition, but so are local yacht clubs and businesses.

This year two categories were expanded to include more competition, Quadra said.

Homes will be judged Dec. 14. Winners will be invited to attend the Christmas Boat Parade dinner and auction Jan. 22 at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort.