West Milford To some people the day after Thanksgiving means stress and panic the holiday season always seems to arrive sooner than expected. To others however, the dawn of the festive season sparks unrelenting excitement. Such is the case for Bill and Christine Ludwig. They live on Charissa Court, just off Clinton Road and they like to kick off this time of year by illuminating the exterior of their home to the delight not only of themselves but to the many visitors who drive by just to witness the spectacle. Christine and Bill have lived at their current address for ten years and jointly operate their own business, Tri-State Stone & Tile, based in Denville. Their love of decorating has been with since even before they relocated to West Milford. Christine said “We used to live on Staten Island where there is a big tradition of decorating houses for Christmas. There was a house I used to love looking at; it was always beautifully covered in white lights and when we moved here I wanted to our house to look just like that one.” Over the years the work put into making their home a seasonal visitor attraction hasn’t slowed down. One apparent secret to their success is timing. “We usually start the decorating just after Halloween hopefully before the weather gets cold. We always try to complete the outside work while the weather is still relatively warm,” said Christine. However, Bill said, “We don’t turn the lights on till after Thanksgiving. We like to just turn them on as though all of a sudden the house and garden was just decorated.” While the garden is colorfully decorated, the main focus of the display is on the house itself. A trail of white lights surrounds the edge and center of the roof as well as a sprinkle of the same while lights in each window at the front of the house. The evergreens which run parallel to the ground floor level are equally decorated in the white light motif. A multi-colored wreath is placed just above the main entranceway completing the design on the home. Christine said “Every year it gets a little more and a little more although we also like to change it around. My brother, Phil, does exactly the same at his home; the love of Christmas definitely runs in the family.” As in any successful team there is a committed leader and Christine plays that role when it comes to Christmastime. “It is mostly her,” Bill says, pointing to Christine. “He gets into it. Once everything starts he soon gets going,” Christine replies. They do both agree on one point however, Bill saying, “I spend most of my time on the roof.” Just as visitors come to see their house they too like to get in their car and find other houses impressively decorated. “I love to go around in my car and look at how other people have decorated,” said Christine. The bringing of light to the darkest time of the year is not the only giving the Ludwig’s like to do at Christmas. They eagerly lavish gifts on their loved ones also. Christine said “We don’t have kids of our own so we do like to make sure Santa is especially good to my brother’s kids. Last year we sent their whole family on a vacation to Disney including flights and hotel accommodation.” The gifts don’t just apply to their human friends; those lucky canine and feline companions are waiting for Santa’s arrival also, “Our four dogs and one cat get their Christmas gifts too, they definitely know when it’s Christmas,” said Christine.