LATHROP – It’s beginning to look a lot like…Clark Griswold went crazy with the Christmas lights again and turned your house into an airport runway light.

Whether it’s covering the tree in the front yard with enough lights to view from airline cruising altitude or striping your lawn in neat rows that would make the most OCD person think you’re crazy, it’s definitely the season to one-up the neighbors and have the best-looking house on the block.

So where should you go to draw inspiration?

A handful of Lathrop homes have taken the time to create unique and gorgeous displays that would even make The Grinch sing a Christmas Carol.

Here are a few places to turn and what you’ll find when you get there:

•794 Long Barn Drive – It doesn’t take up all of the lights that Wal-Mart typically stocks up for the holidays, but it’s a tastefully done tribute to America complete with an American flag to compliment to the flagpole in the front yard of the home. Think of it as a red, white and blue salute to Americana that blends the holiday in July with the one in December. Come to think of it, fireworks on Christmas wouldn’t actually be all that bad.

•939 Long Barn Drive – Just around the corner from its patriotic neighbor sits this modest, one-story Woodfield Estates home. But their take on Christmas decorations is anything but modest. Both grassy plants – the main section in front of the house and the one on the side yard near the property line – are extensively lined with Christmas lights. We’re talking strand after strand after strand all lined up perfectly to make it appear like a sea of illuminated goodness. And it gets better. The bushes are all covered with lights in the same fashion, and the section of roof that faces the road looks like it was installed by a team of overzealous elves. Throw in a few holiday themed light decorations – snowflakes above the garage, candy canes along the property line and bows in the middle of the lawns – and you’ve got a great view. One not to miss.

•569 Cold Springs Street – This is one of the most unique and entertaining Christmas light displays that you’ll find in the area. It might take time to cover your entire house in lights, but this family opted to sync their lights to an electronic musical show that dazzles all of those who pull up and take the time to watch. The music can be heard on an FM radio station – 90.3 FM – and a huge pixel array set-up in the driveway against the garage is something that you likely won’t see any place else. The dancing light show is something that the owners also do for Halloween, and they have a YouTube page – www.youtube.com/happyholidayhome – that shows displays of the past. A true holiday treat.

•Lights on the Farm – This Dell’Osso Farms attraction – which will set you back $10 for a carload – could easily be the largest display of lights in San Joaquin Valley. While the Brock house in Manteca is a testament to maximizing one space, Lights on the Farm stretches out the lights – some of which are custom made – over the course of several miles on a track that loops around the popular Lathrop attraction. One of the lights even shows a scarecrow at one of the pumpkin blasters that attract customers during the pumpkin maze season while other more ornate designs dazzle those who make their way through the unique and well-planned attraction. It’s definitely something that the whole family can enjoy. Pack the hot cocoa and make a night of it.

JASON CAMPBELL

209 staff reporter