RICK AND Bonnie Simpson of Spotsylvania County, the winners of this year's 14th annual Grand Holiday Displays event, don't just talk a good game when it comes to celebrating Christmas.

Each year when the calendar flops over to November, Bonnie begins pulling out hundreds of Santa figures, rugs, ornaments and enough other Christmas decorations and greenery to fill the couple's beautiful home in Fox Point.

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Rick gets busy as well, pulling out hundreds of strings of lights, moving light figures and other decorations that form a Christmas mosaic on every side of the home one young fan in the neighborhood dubbed, "The Candy House."

With help from Bonnie and daughter Brittany, a sophomore at Courtland High School, Rick places the strings of light on the house, with greenery around the home's columns and with hooks on fences and a side shed, connecting a web of extension cords to special heavy-duty power cables and breakers.

Then comes the light-sculptures in the yard, the wreaths and other yard decorations.

And this year, a truly unique feature: a special Santa's reindeer train that uses a specially augmented ATV to pull four miniature reindeer figures to give neighborhood children rides.

It's something the former Fairfax firefighter and yard-care business owner built himself.

Seeing Shriners riding about in a recent Christmas parade in their small-scale vehicles, Simpson got the idea that it would be fun to build something of his own to use for parades and children's rides.

He scavenged heavy plastic 55-gallon barrels of window cleaner, scoured them, attached metal bases and wheels, built reindeer heads and tails for each and then adorned them all with snowflakes, red, tennis-ball noses and cutout tops and seats for young riders.

"And I have some special headgear as the driver," joked Simpson, donning the red hat with huge, lighted antlers. "I put a sign out front on weekend nights that says rides start at 5:30. So far, I've been giving rides straight through for hours."

Like other couples chosen as winners, examples of those who love to decorate and embrace the holiday season, the Simpsons and their family have seen their decorating grow through the years.