Looking for the area’s best holiday outdoor displays? Bee readers tell us where to go

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In addition to delighting neighbors and passers-by with their warm glow and beautiful, often whimsical, reindeer, snowmen and other figures, there's an obvious upside to brightly decorated homes: Santa, soaring way up high in that toy-laden sleigh of his, can't miss 'em.

A downside, though, depending on where a home is located, could be that it's a beacon for other flying objects. "I dress up my house each year for Christmas," Bee reader Jerry Nance e-mailed us regarding his home, at 2453 Whitewater Way, Modesto. "I live on the Ceres side of the river across from the airport, and each year I fear that airplanes on approach to the airport may mistake my home for the airport runway."

We invited readers to share with us addresses of homes worth taking a nighttime drive to check out this holiday season. Sandi Stepp wrote to say that her home, at 9261 Yosemite Blvd. in Modesto, "lights up Highway 132 from at least a ¼-mile away. It's a great, great light show, especially in the fog! My husband does this every year, we have people from several cities who know us just from our Christmas display!"

The household at 2108 Canadian Circle has festively decorated their home for Christmas in Modesto, Calif., Monday, Dec. 15, 2008. (Alison Yin / The Modesto Bee)

Turlock Christmas lights of one of the homes on Michael Way, December 16, 2008 (Debbie Noda / The Modesto Bee)

The Holbrook and King households on Inverness Court have festively decorated their homes for Christmas in Modesto, Calif., Monday, Dec. 15, 2008. (Alison Yin / The Modesto Bee)

The households at 1541 Sturm Drive, left, and 2401 Callaham Way have festively decorated their homes for Christmas in Modesto, Calif., Monday, Dec. 15, 2008. (Alison Yin / The Modesto Bee)

Snow people fill the front yard of the Holbrook home on Inverness Court in Modesto, Calif., Monday, Dec. 15, 2008. (Alison Yin / The Modesto Bee)

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

Sacramento-area holiday lights map from SacBee.com
Lights of the Valley Christmas display Web site
Is your front yard dressed up like a winter wonderland? Do your neighbors' holiday lights turn your eyes all aglow? If so, we'd love to see a picture. To post a photo on our Web site, go to photos.modbee.com, and click on "Submit your media" in the upper right hand of the screen and follow the easy steps. We'll add them to our gallery.
Holiday Lights of Modesto

Marci Price suggests that you bundle up the family and stroll through the neighborhood at Oak Avenue and Magnolia Street in Oakdale. "Every year, this neighborhood decorates their yards. From house to house, you can see the lights and ornaments. When my now adult children were in Brownies, we walked the circular neighborhood. We would take hot cocoa and either drove slowly around or we walked. ... It is a beautiful community neighborhood that shares their holiday spirit."

Here are other suggested stops on your holiday light tour. So, hit "view larger map" on the below map, print it out, chart your course, fill a thermos with hot chocolate and get going!

View Larger Map

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