The Man Behind Monrovia's Best Decorated Home

Michael Allen started decorating his house the day before Thanksgiving, and he didn't finish until the day before the city judged its annual holiday decorating contest on Dec. 19.

He won, just like he won the only other time he entered the contest in 2008. Now, he's calling his friends and putting signs up in his yard in hopes of winning Patch's national contest that would .

Allen said his enjoyment of Christmas lights began when he was a kid, and he's continued to collect new decorations every year since he moved into his home on Crescent Drive 12 years ago.

"When I was a kid I didn't have this," said Allen, who owns Three D Service, Demolition & Grading in Pomona. "I always loved Christmas lights."

Click here to vote for Allen's home in Patch's national Deck the House decorating contest.

Allen liked christmas lights so much that he had an electrician design his display after he rebuilt his home. He estimated that he has about 65,000 lights strung up on his property, and his yard alone, with a lighted Santa, reindeer, snowmen, penguins and other decorations, needs seven outlets to stay alit.

And Allen's spectacle doesn't come cheap--he expects his electric bill to go up by as much as $1,000 this month. Increased power bills aren't the only expense incurred by Allen, as he had to rebuild much of the display after it was severely damaged by a .

"The windstorms devastated me," Allen said.

Most of the damage could be repaired, however, and Allen was able to salvage enough to run away with his second "Best of the Season" award in the city's competition.

Allen also owes the award to the hard work of many of his neighbors, he said. One neighbor climbed the trees in his front yard to hang dozens of lighted candy canes, and another neighbor has repaired some of the ornaments without even being asked.

The house is an attraction for the both neighborhood and the city at large, Allen said.

"The first night the neighbors were down here with cameras," Allen said. "The neighborhood really, really enjoys looking at it."