'The reason for the season' prompted Sandy Collier to include a manger scene in the display at her home on Truslow Road in Stafford County. ram View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

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Here are the season's best decorations

Columnist, after hundreds of miles of traveling and countless spins of his favorite Der Bingle disc, presents his 13th annual list of the area's most remarkable holiday displays

ROB HEDELT •   Rob Hedelt's archive •   E-mail Rob Hedelt

Date published: 12/14/2003

FOURTEEN years ago, I heard about a fellow in Leavells Crossing subdi- vision in Spotsylvania County who had a Christmas display so bright and eye-popping it just had to be seen.

My visit with Ken Buhmann became a column on the then "new" trend of bright lights and decorations.

It was also the spark for a column the following Christmas that's become a holiday tradition in this space: my yearly listing of the region's Grand Holiday Displays.

Today's is the 13th annual listing of homes that are pretty, pretty wild or pretty amazing. There are 60 houses from Colonial Beach to Widewater to Lake Anna.

This year, the growing number of nominations from readers made it impossible to list them all, so I did my best to whittle them down to the most mem-orable.

Likewise, many who wrote in left out critical information like directions, addresses and phone numbers.

Next year, there will be more trimming to make this a list that's easier to use.

As in past years, a winner has been chosen and will be featured in Tuesday's column.

OK, you ask, why bring up Buhmann this year?

The Buhmanns moved away in 1990, but are now back in the Fredericksburg area in a home he can decorate.

So what if his wife has, as he put it, made him go from tacky to tasteful in the home in Spotsylvania's South Woods subdivision?

What matters is that his decorations, like all the others on the list, are done in the spirit of the season.

So without further ado, grab the eggnog and Aunt Edna, pile into the SUV and let the official 2003 light-cruising season begin.

Stafford County

32 HOLLYWOOD FARM ROAD. (On the right a few hundred feet from State Route 3, about seven miles past Ferry Road.) Loops of light brighten the night at this beautiful country home, with snowmen, a dolphin and more.

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Date published: 12/14/2003