To the Editor:

In this year of isolation, a delightful activity that is safe from COVID exposure is to drive around Newtown to see the fabulous holiday decorating and lights many homeowners have put on display. All ages, from the very young to the young-at-hearts, can enjoy this wonderful experience from the warm comfort of their car.

Please join our Facebook group named “Newtown Holiday Displays & Map” for the Google map plus driving instructions to many amazing homes. If you own a fantastic Holiday House, there is no fee to enter your address. Everything about the contest is free and we ask that no collection boxes, not even for charity, be placed at any home. This is a gift from the town to the town in hopes of bringing some of the magic of December back to Newtown.

For those that do not decorate outside, but have a lovely tree, we have an online “Best Indoor Tree Contest.” It is wonderful to get a peek at all the wonderful Christmas trees.

The Facebook group and the drive are great ways to stay connected to your neighbors. If you notice a metal barn star on a stake on a front lawn, this means the homeowners are bringing joy to the rest of us by allowing their address to be on our map.

The Newtown Holiday Displays & Map Facebook group is secular and not tied to any specific religion. It is inclusive and all are welcome to join in the merriment. We are a “private Facebook group,” [which] only means you must be a member to see our posts and the names of other members to maintain a certain level of privacy.

Happy Holidays to all! Hope you will join us!

Newtown Holiday Displays & Map Group Administrators

Lois Barber

33 Zoar Road, Sandy Hook

George Linebarger

28 Oakview Road, Sandy Hook December 11, 2020