Christmas Event Set-Up Guide

Holiday Home + Storefront Decorating Contest Sign-Up

Holiday decorating contests give residents and local businesses a creative way to become part of the season while helping transform neighborhoods and downtown districts into destinations people want to explore.

A clear sign-up process helps organizers collect addresses, entry details, decorating categories, photos, and participant contact information before judging or public voting begins.

Combining home and storefront entries in one campaign can also make the contest feel like one community-wide holiday experience while still giving each type of participant the right category.

This guide walks through how to create, promote, and manage a Holiday Home + Storefront Decorating Contest Sign-Up Campaign for a Christmas or holiday community event.

Why Create a Holiday Decorating Contest?

A well-organized sign-up process gives residents and businesses an easy way to participate while giving organizers the information needed to build the contest, judging process, and public experience.

Increase Community Participation Give residents and businesses an easy, creative way to join the holiday season.	Organize Home + Business Entries Keep residential and storefront participants together while still separating categories when needed.
Collect Location Details Gather addresses and display information needed for judging, maps, and public viewing.	Simplify Communication Keep participant contact information organized for reminders, judging details, and winner announcements.
Create a Holiday Destination Turn decorated homes and businesses into places the community can explore throughout the season.	Support Local Businesses Give participating storefronts another reason for residents and visitors to stop downtown.

The contest can become much more than a competition. It can create a community-wide holiday route, encourage local exploration, and give people something festive to look forward to each year.

How to Set Up a Holiday Decorating Contest

1. Create the Main Participation Options

Start by separating the two primary types of entries so participants can quickly choose the option that fits them.

• Home Decorating Contest: Residential homes, yards, porches, apartments, or neighborhood displays.
• Storefront Decorating Contest: Local businesses, shops, restaurants, offices, and other commercial locations.

From there, you can add a few meaningful categories if your contest is large enough to support them, such as Best Lights, Most Creative, Traditional Christmas, or People's Choice.

With SeeMyLegacy, organizers can create separate participation options within one Community Sign-Up Campaign so residents and businesses select the correct entry type when registering.

Start With Who Is Decorating The easiest way to keep registration clear is to begin with the participant type. Home Entry → Residential Display Storefront Entry → Business Display Additional judging categories can come after that.

2. Build the Contest Registration Form

The registration form should collect enough information to identify the display, contact the participant, and prepare for judging or public voting.

Keep the form simple and focus on information your team will actually use.

• Participant or business name
• Display address
• Entry type or contest category
• Short description of the display
• Photo or promotional information when needed

For storefront entries, you might also collect business hours, website or social links, and any holiday promotions visitors can enjoy while viewing the display.

With SeeMyLegacy, organizers can add custom questions to collect the exact details needed for home and storefront entries.

Collect What Helps People Find the Display If the contest will include public viewing, voting, or a holiday route, location information becomes one of the most important parts of registration. Who entered? → Where is the display? → What category is it in? → What should visitors know?

3. Set Decorating Rules and Judging Criteria

Clear contest rules help participants understand what qualifies and make judging easier for your team.

Decide when displays must be completed, how long they should remain decorated, whether lights need to be on during certain hours, and how winners will be selected.

You can use a panel of judges, public voting, or a combination of both. Whatever method you choose, explain it before registration closes.

• Registration and decorating deadlines
• Judging or public voting dates
• Display requirements and viewing hours
• Judging criteria or award categories
• Winner announcement details

With SeeMyLegacy, contest expectations and important dates can live directly within the campaign so participants can review them before signing up.

Make “Best Decorated” Easier to Judge A little structure can make judging feel more consistent. Consider criteria such as creativity, holiday spirit, overall presentation, lighting, originality, or use of space.

4. Organize Entries for Judging and Public Viewing

As registrations come in, organize entries by home or storefront, category, neighborhood, downtown block, or judging route.

If the public will be encouraged to visit displays, use the confirmed registration list to plan a viewing route or community guide.

For larger contests, grouping nearby entries can make it easier for judges and residents to explore multiple displays in one trip.

With SeeMyLegacy, participant information can stay centralized while organizers use confirmed entries to prepare judging, communication, and the broader contest experience.

The Entry List Can Become a Holiday Route Once you know where the decorated homes and storefronts are located, the contest can become something the entire community can explore. Register Displays → Organize Locations → Build the Route → Invite the Community to Explore

5. Promote Holiday Decorating Contest Sign-Ups

Give residents and businesses enough time to register, plan their displays, and finish decorating before judging begins.

Promote home entries through neighborhood groups, community email lists, social media, schools, homeowners associations, and local organizations. Recruit storefronts through merchant groups, Chambers, Main Streets, downtown organizations, and direct business outreach.

With SeeMyLegacy, organizers can share one central Community Sign-Up Campaign link across every promotional channel.

Holiday Decorating Contest Promotion Playbook

• Neighborhoods: Encourage residents to challenge nearby streets or blocks to participate together.
• Downtown Businesses: Position storefront decorating as both community participation and holiday visibility.
• Social Media: Share past displays, decorating inspiration, and registration reminders.
• Community Partners: Ask schools, HOAs, Chambers, Main Streets, and civic groups to spread the word.
• Friendly Competition: Promote specific award categories to give people something fun to compete for.

Don't only announce “Decorating Contest Sign-Ups Are Open.” Show people what the community could look like when entire neighborhoods and business districts join in.

6. Prepare Participants for Judging and the Holiday Season

Before judging begins, send participants the final schedule, display expectations, viewing dates, voting information, and winner announcement details.

If entries will be publicly promoted, let participants know when their address or business information will appear in the contest guide and what visitors should expect when viewing displays.

• Final decorating deadline
• Judging or voting window
• Display viewing hours
• Public route or guide details
• Winner announcement date

With SeeMyLegacy, organizers can keep participant records organized and send emails or reminders as important contest dates approach.

Turn the Contest Into Part of the Season The competition may end on one night, but the decorated homes and storefronts can continue creating value throughout the holiday season. Encourage the community to visit displays, shop local, explore neighborhoods, and enjoy the contest even after judging is complete.

Ideas for Holiday Decorating Contest Categories

Keep categories broad enough to attract entries while giving judges or voters meaningful ways to recognize different decorating styles.

• Best Overall: The strongest complete holiday display.
• Best Lights: Recognize creative or impressive lighting.
• Most Creative: Reward originality, storytelling, or unexpected ideas.
• Traditional Christmas: Celebrate classic holiday decorating styles.
• People's Choice: Let residents or visitors vote for their favorite display.

Other options can include Best Storefront Window, Best Residential Yard, Best Theme, Most Festive Block, Best Small Space, Best Use of Lights, or Judge's Choice.

You don't need every category. Choose the awards that best fit the size of your contest and the type of participation you want to encourage.

Manage Holiday Decorating Contest Sign-Ups with SeeMyLegacy

A successful Holiday Home + Storefront Decorating Contest should make registration simple for residents and businesses while giving organizers the information they need to manage judging and community promotion.

With SeeMyLegacy, communities can create one centralized Community Sign-Up Campaign where participants choose their entry type, submit display details, and stay connected with organizers throughout the contest.

A Simple Holiday Decorating Contest Experience Discover the Contest → Choose Home or Storefront → Register the Display → Decorate → Get Judged or Voted On → Celebrate the Winners

Organizers can use SeeMyLegacy to create participation options, collect custom registration information, organize participant records, send emails and reminders, and keep contest details connected to the larger holiday season.

Holiday Decorating Contest Sign-Ups can also work alongside Christmas Event Ticketing, Parade Sign-Ups, Volunteer Opportunities, Sponsorships, Business Registration, and Interactive Tour campaigns when the contest is part of a larger holiday initiative.

Turn the Community Into a Holiday Destination

A decorating contest gives residents and businesses a reason to create something the whole community can enjoy.

Clear registration, simple categories, thoughtful judging, and strong promotion can turn individual displays into a larger holiday experience that brings people into neighborhoods and downtown districts throughout the season.

Launch your Holiday Home + Storefront Decorating Contest with SeeMyLegacy and give residents and businesses one simple place to sign up and shine.

Ready to Launch Your Holiday Decorating Contest? Bring home and storefront sign-ups, participant details, communication, and contest organization together in one place. Book a Demo → Contact Us