Commumity project...christmas window display

[ewarwoowoo]

I wish I had more imagination and creativity, but I dont. I need your ideas! I want to engage my whole street this Christmas to have displays in their windows - as an opportunity to really light up the street for some festive fun and loveliness, and also to reach out to residents (it is a very long road). I have left it too late to do anything very coordinated, but I need something to pull it together - to give a reason for people to engage and not just think 'well I was going to put lights up anyway' and then I miss the engagement.

I thought about having a communal 'switch on' to launch the lighting up of the street, and may be ask people to have something in common
.. like everyone display a cracker somewhere and then it could be a bit of trail? Hunt the cracker?
I really dont know if this is a good idea! But if I am going to do it I need to get a little note through everyone's doors this weekend to see what interest there is. It cant be just ' light up your window ', I need something to pull it all together.

Any ideas? Any one done anything similar?

How many houses are there? Could you do a 12 days of christmas treasure hunt

Unless you are very involved in the community during lockdown -were the key shopper, sourced yeast, shared flour, did dog walking for the ECV, did the tip runs, ran the old people to the doctor, logged at an 3 am to get Joan an Ocado slot

I would think
Who died and left you in charge?

I think it's a lovely idea.
Just be careful you don't put pressure on people to participate- some might not be able to afford to if they don't usually do this.

I think this would only work in a cheesy Xmas movie but if you could persuade 24 of them to do an advent window each day at dusk, that'd be spectacular!!

Check out window Wanderland. My neighbourhood does it and it's got all the resources you need to get people involved. We do it March but others do a Christmas one. It's lovely.

It is a very long road. I would not be approaching it from an 'I am in charge' angle... just as the initial point of contact. I dont want to tell people what to do or make people feel bad for not getting involved. At this stage I was only going to see what interest there was... maybe someone / some people already have plans that I can join.

12 days of christmas is a great idea!

Print out colouring pics and pic them through letter boxes those that have kids and want to participate will do so
Nice idea but best to keep it v simple and easy breezy

I think @LizzieMacQueen has a great idea with the advent idea.

My Ex FIL did something similar on his estate. Posted flyers through everyone's letterbox explaining his thinking, and asking them to participate. There was a prize for Best Dressed House. Can't remember what it was, but FIL provided it out of his own pocket.

there's some good advice about how to set up an advent windows community project here:
www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/resources/assets/living-advent-calendar-tool-kit.pdf

A couple of local neighbourhood associations in SE6 do an Advent window trail. It's lovely to see the designs but I would personally only let houses be involved if they had door numbers that could be seen from the street otherwise there's a definite curb-crawling quality to the visits...