Vote For Stanley's House: Here's How

Stanley Marion is passionate about Christmas lights. If his display on Wanton Shippee gets the most votes, we can all share that passion because the winner of Patch's "Deck the House" holiday decoration contest earns $100,000 for his town's public schools. 

Stanley's interest in outdoor light decorations began when he was living in Warwick, said he mom, Bernice Burgess, the owner of the Wanton Shippee house. Stanley moved to Florida briefly, decorating his house there, but when he returned to Rhode Island and moved to Wanton Shippee, he didn't bring his lights.

That lasted about a year, Bernice said. Then, Stanley started accumulating lights again, adding more elements each year. 

"This is the one thing he truly truly loves besides fishing," said Bernice.

"Every year it gets bigger. I keep telling him we're running out of real estate," she said. "Then he found new real estate on the roof!"

Stanley starts early. This year, the display was lit on Thanksgiving night. The display is festive without being noisy or too (literally) flashy. That might be why no neighbors have complained. Bernice said the other night, some young children from the neighborhood were standing near the house with their mom, just waiting for the lights to go on.

As one neighbor put it, "I don't have to go to La Salette – I can just look out my window!"

Stanley's already passed the first hurdle: making it to the Round of 24. That was no small feat, considering there are more than 900 Patch sites across the country. While some Patch sites had no entries, others had multiple entries. So, bravo Stanley!

Here's the link to vote. Voting lasts untill Dec. 28 at noon.