It’s that wintry time of year again and registration is officially open for Social Tinkering’s 4th annual Light Up Rutland. Light Up Rutland is a fundraiser and a community-wide decorating competition that is organized each winter season to brighten our neighborhoods and to bring people together, creating something beautiful for each other during the darkest days of the year.
People all across Rutland County are encouraged to register their households, businesses and organizations, schools, and neighborhoods to an online map created by Social Tinkering staff. Decorators then light up their locations to compete for prizes from local businesses. Multiple households in a neighborhood can register together as a “Neighborhood” to win bragging rights of Best Decorated Neighborhood. Businesses and organizations compete to win Best Decorated Biz/Org of the year. School communities can register for free and team up to light up their halls, hanging sparkly paper cut out snowflakes and colorful snowpeople, icicles, candles, and more to the delight of students and staff alike.
Whether your decoration style competes with the Griswolds or you delight in sharing your family traditions and culture with your neighbors out for their evening walk, Social Tinkering wants you to join in the fun. Registration closes December 8th at midnight and light peeping and voting run through January 28th, 2024. Don’t want to compete but still want people to enjoy your decorations? Register to simply be listed on the map.
Whether or not you’re a decorator, get ready to brighten your evenings with some light peeping! The 2023 Lights Map will be available Dec. 9th. Dig out that old Thermos in the back of your cabinet and fill it with some warm cocoa or tea. Grab a family member, a friend, or neighbor and head out for a winter wonderland walk through the neighborhood. Or adventure far and wide on a weekly lights drive throughout Rutland County. Check Social Tinkering’s website and Facebook/Instagram for photos and videos of indoor competitors. Keep track of your favorites because the decorators need your votes. Your votes show decorators your love and gratitude by helping them to win fun prizes. Your votes also immediately enter you into a drawing for fun local prizes from all over the region. Social Tinkering’s director, Jeanette Langston, started this event back in the winter of 2020. She wanted to create an event where everyone had to work together to create something beautiful all across the community; where together we would all brighten each other’s days, have a little friendly competitionwhile doing so, and ultimately remind each other that just a little bit of kindness can go a long way towards making us feel less alone. Langston said, “Creating a visual display of lights gives us a tangible reminder we are not alone, that we’re all in this together.” Alderman John McCann surprised Langston last year with handmade wooden Light Up Rutland ornaments that he made at The Mint for all the decorators. “John shared, ‘We were new to Rutland in late 2020 and exploring the Light Up Rutland map was such a great way to get familiar with the layout of our new community. It was so encouraging that Social Tinkering was organizing this sort of activity and we couldn’t wait to get a house of our own and add it to the map.’
“We are all feeling the weight and impact of several challenging community issues going on right now. Putting up decorations and talking about happiness may seem a bit frivolous, but this event has a significant positive impact on all of our hearts and minds each year. We need to feel connected and supported by each other now more than ever. The complexity of loneliness and disconnection are at the heart of many of our social issues and prevent us, our families, and our communities from thriving. Light Up Rutland renews our connections and hope and helps us all continue to work together to fight for kindness, compassion, and a healthy community,” Langston said. Light Up Rutland is an annual fundraiser for the young nonprofit organization. Registration fees and donations all go towards helping the organization to offer more socials and education about why social connections matter for our health and well-being. Social Tinkering hopes to open a Community Living Room space for all ages in 2024, where people can simply go and hang out, to meet new people and grow friendships to fight and heal loneliness and help our community thrive. To participate in all things Light Up Rutland go to socialtinkering.org/lightuprutland to register, vote, and donate. Prizes will be announced soon! If your business or organization is interested in donating prizes or to the event in general, Social Tinkering is currently seeking sponsors. Contact Social Tinkering at 802-342-5811 or info@socialtinkering.org.
