Flying Spaghetti Monster Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 I was out with the family tonight looking at Christmas lights and hoping to come across somebody who made a Christmas display using my likeness - but alas, none was to be found. So, to inspire some creativeness and fun out there I'm going to offer one of my copper versions (30 made, given only as gifts, never sold) to the person who can come up with the best light display. Simple rules: 1) You must either create or find (in person) and photograph (at night) a Christmas light display of the FSM 2) No Googling of images allowed 3) You must either have a GPS in the picture OR a sign with your caching name (to prove you were there) 4) No photoshopped/digitally manipulated pictures allowed Bonus points awarded for creativity, size of display, pictures with an FSM coin (or something Eartha-like), etc. You can make as many submissions as you like as long as you follow the guidelines above. I reserve the right to add rules later if I think of something that I missed out. This will be open from now until 12/23 at midnight PST. At that time, I will pick a winner and announce it here. To get you started, here's an image that I found on Google: Quote Link to comment
YemonYime Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 No Googling of images allowed Oh wait nevermind. I thought it said no "googly" images allowed. Quote Link to comment
+coreynjoey Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 We went to CHRISTMAHANAQUANZAKAH FESTIVUS today and someone, coughwanderlostcough, was wearing an FSM Holiday hat. It was quite cute. Hopefully someone will post a pic of it. It doesn't qualify for this cointest, but I thought I'd share anyways. Quote Link to comment
+Jug & Roon Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 This is an article from SF (San Francisco) Gate. We hope to see the display this year and get some pictures. We don't consider this a submission for the contest but, a BRIGHT spot in CA. to see. Merry glitzmas With 80,000 lights and rooms of displays, the Rombeiros deck their Novato house into a ho, ho, home for the holidays Alex Horvath, Special to The Chronicle Friday, December 16, 2005 More... In 1982, Edmundo Rombeiro celebrated his first Christmas in Novato by decorating the front yard of his home with a Nativity scene and happened to notice a young couple admiring his work. "The people were so happy. I could see the smile on their face,'' Rombeiro, 66, recalled in the thick Portuguese accent retained from growing up in the archipelago of Portuguese islands known as the Azores. "I went up to them and invited them in. They were like, 'It's OK?' Yes. They came inside, and I started showing them everything and they were so happy." Back then, decorations inside and out were pretty thin, but something had taken hold in Rombeiro's heart: an urge to share. Later that evening, Rombeiro told his wife that he wanted to start inviting people inside to see the family's decorations. At first, Mary Jo was hesitant. Ultimately, the family decided to share their Christmas with the community. "What we had up around the entire house you could put in one room," Rombeiro said. "Then my brother helped me. We would walk out to the cars and invite them in. Some would say yes, others thought we were crazy. Some would just take off." In the 23 years since that first Christmas, Rombeiro has spread the happiness to the tune of roughly 40,000 visits last year. (Each visitor gets a complimentary candy cane; Rombeiro and family keep track of how many boxes of candy canes they go through each year.) These days, Rombeiro and his family -- which includes grown daughter Kathy of Rohnert Park, and sister, Rosalina Medeiras, who lives nearby in Novato -- start decorating in September. They string up more than 80,000 lights on the outside alone. There are enough reindeer to form a herd, enough faux snow to classify as a blizzard, and enough wattage and signage to rival a North Pole mall. Christmas tunes blare from speakers in the eaves. Clearly, for the Rombeiros at least, there is never enough. And that's just the outside. Working into the wee hours, Rombeiro and family put together the hundreds -- it could easily be thousands -- of figurines and displays that fill each room of the house: elves and fiber-optic poinsettias and snowmen and all things seasonal. The indoor patio houses an intricate train set and monorail traveling nonstop through a wintry wonderland. There's also a lounge act: Novato resident Barry Costa as a hip-swiveling, singing Elvis impersonator known as "Elfis." (For more on "Elfis," see the Bay Folk Sketchbook by Bill Russell in Saturday's Datebook.) Rombeiro is retired from Harris Digital Telephone Systems in Novato, where he manufactured systems for the Federal Aviation Administration. The job took him around the country where he installed the equipment at airports and got very acquainted with electrical wiring. It turns out Kathy Rombeiro, who is in charge of most of the snow decorations, also has the wiring gene. The family found that out one evening a few weeks ago when Mary Jo and Rosalina were stringing lights in front of the house and discovered one strand wasn't working. "There were hundreds of lights, and Kathy walked up and said, 'It's that one right there.' And she was right!" Rosalina said. Kathy Rombeiro said she is only good at fixing lights because she has had to do it so many times. The extravaganza doesn't come cheap. The family spent $4,000 for this year's display. There is also the electric bill, which this time of year hits $1,500 or more a month despite a generator. There is a donation box at the entrance to the home -- underneath the candy-cane-shaped gate. The Rombeiros shop for Christmas decorations year-round. Rosalina said she can tell when her brother has been in a store because the shelves with Christmas lights and decorations will be bare. In his defense, Rombeiro said he's not the only one in the family hooked on the holiday decorations. "When it comes close to Christmas, my wife says, 'Don't buy anything else.' Then she is the first one to come home with something for Christmas," he said with a laugh. On some nights, a steady stream of autos and tour buses cruise Devonshire Drive, vying for parking spots in order to tour the home. On a recent evening, Rombeiro, decked out in a red coat and Santa hat emblazoned with a large E, welcomes the first group of strangers into his home. "We have a lot of people come by here, sometime two and three times," Rombeiro said. "There are lots of families and neighbors. There is one little boy who believes that I am the real Santa Claus and that this is Santa's house!" What do the neighbors think? At least one neighbor, Claire Paysse, who raised her three children six houses down the block from the Rombeiros, says: "We love it, and another result is that it's contagious. People who have never put up lights and decorations do now. It's really grown." Paysse acknowledged that not everyone in the neighborhood has been thrilled about the attention the block gets every December, including one neighbor who hadn't put up lights or decorations since the energy crisis of the 1970s. "He was really cranky about it," Paysse said. "A few years ago, he finally gave in and now he puts up lights." Rombeiro's passion for Christmas began as a boy growing up on Sao Miguel, the largest island in the Azores. Raised as a Catholic, his family celebrated "Little Christmas" on Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany and the traditional day of gift exchange in the Portugese- and Spanish-speaking world. The Rombeiros still celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6, which is why they keep their house open on Dec. 25. Part of Rombeiro's childhood is captured in a detailed and miniature display re-creating the Christmas celebrations from his youth on Sao Miguel. The room was started in October and took a month to complete. Thank-you cards from all over the world hang in a hallway. A photo of one of the first visitors from 1982, back for a return visit several years later, also adorns the wall. Kathy Rombeiro said it takes the family about two weeks to recuperate after the holiday -- and nearly three months to take down everything and put it away. Edmundo Rombeiro said some people have urged him to turn the house into a business and turn a profit. He has refused. "It's more about the joy of Christmas," Rombeiro said. "Everyone is welcome to the house. Everyone is welcome. We open our hearts and arms, the way things are supposed to be. We just hope that we move people to have more love for each other." Outside the home, families take photographs of the displays. Novato residents Penny and Tilden Hansen had come with their grandchildren, Austin and Brent Eger, of Petaluma. "I really need to bring my mother," Penny Hansen said. "She's 92 and in a nursing home battling dementia. But the one thing she remembers is the Christmas house. She asked about it tonight. Then the kids asked about it. We figured that we'd better come." "He's not doing this for money -- he's doing this for love," Penny Hansen said of Rombeiro. "He's making us all children again." Hansen said she planned to return soon with a visiting sister and with her mother. Kathy Rombeiro said the reason so many people make the pilgrimage transcends religious and ideological beliefs. "People are looking for something good in their lives," she said. "Nowadays, you always hear there is so much bad in the world and everyone is in a rush and craving, actually, so much of what is good. People come here after shopping and doing the Christmas rush. They leave often saying thank you. ... Thank you for bringing the meaning of Christmas back to our lives." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Holiday tours The Rombeiro Christmas House is at 34 Devonshire Drive in Novato. The house is open for tours 6-10 p.m. daily through Jan. 6 (including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day). Free, although the family accepts donations. From the south: Take Highway 101 north to the San Marin exit; turn left over the overpass; turn left on Center Road; turn right onto Devonshire Drive. From the north: Take Highway 101 south to San Marin exit and turn right; turn left on Center Road; turn left on Devonshire Drive. 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+fairyhoney Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 We went to CHRISTMAHANAQUANZAKAH FESTIVUS today and someone, coughwanderlostcough, was wearing an FSM Holiday hat. It was quite cute. Hopefully someone will post a pic of it. It doesn't qualify for this cointest, but I thought I'd share anyways. I, too, saw that hat no camera, though. Quote Link to comment
+coreynjoey Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 We went to CHRISTMAHANAQUANZAKAH FESTIVUS today and someone, coughwanderlostcough, was wearing an FSM Holiday hat. It was quite cute. Hopefully someone will post a pic of it. It doesn't qualify for this cointest, but I thought I'd share anyways. OK, a pic has been posted! Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 (edited) Yea, this is Team Misguided. We tried our darndest to find out if you were male or female. All she would tell us it that you're gender friendly Edited December 11, 2007 by fairyhoney Quote Link to comment
+Ble68 Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 No lights here but we had spaghetti tonight so I thought that I'd post a picture of my creation. Quote Link to comment
Son of Cyclops Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I might make something for this. Quote Link to comment
Son of Cyclops Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 (edited) Double post Edited December 16, 2007 by Son of Cyclops Quote Link to comment
+Arrow One Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 No lights here but we had spaghetti tonight so I thought that I'd post a picture of my creation. That is so cool Ble68! Maybe I could make something out of a meatloaf! But no... then it would be the Flying Meatloaf Monster! LOL!!! Quote Link to comment
avroair Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Must admit I had a go, one light shorted and it took me 20 minutes to find it and replace it... then another shorted so I said 'ad nevermind' in my native tongue... was going to rig something up to the Trans Siberia Orchestra since I am a Wizard of winter myself... Quote Link to comment
+moscow32 Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Ok, here's my entry for this one: The pictures came out ok, but you couldn't see the sign with my name very well, so I took another picture of the lights display inside. Complete with noodly appendages and googly eyes. I must say that the creation of the eyes was my favorite part. Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Ok, here's my entry for this one: The pictures came out ok, but you couldn't see the sign with my name very well, so I took another picture of the lights display inside. Complete with noodly appendages and googly eyes. I must say that the creation of the eyes was my favorite part. So good Quote Link to comment
+fingers crossed Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 So here's a little something that we put together With this one, I liked the effect around FSM's eyes! Have a fabulous holiday season folks! Fingers Crossed. Quote Link to comment
Flying Spaghetti Monster Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 Nice work - thanks for the entries! I hope you had fun making them. Quote Link to comment
Son of Cyclops Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I will try to pull one together before tomorrow night. Quote Link to comment
+fingers crossed Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Here's a fun one with snowman christmas lights... This is fun, wish we had more lights Quote Link to comment
+Eartha Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Can't enter the contest, but I had a half baked idea! Happy Pasta Day! Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Can't enter the contest, but I had a half baked idea! Happy Pasta Day! I suppose a person Could attach some fiber optic lights to the pasta Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Here's a fun one with snowman christmas lights... This is fun, wish we had more lights Oh, Fingers crossed, I really like your idea So, please don't take this wrong because I am god natured . . . If you used blue lights, your Great creation could become "SpongeBob SquarePants character, Squidward" He's a cool character on an even cooler program Quote Link to comment
+Mr.Explorer3 Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 If someone would have taken a picture I could have posted it with me restringing some house lights that broke during a wind storm. I am sure it was a sight to see. There was a big tangle of lights, bulging eyes, and a red face all on top of a wobbling ladder. I hope no one saw. Good cointest, thanks. Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 If someone would have taken a picture I could have posted it with me restringing some house lights that broke during a wind storm. I am sure it was a sight to see. There was a big tangle of lights, bulging eyes, and a red face all on top of a wobbling ladder. I hope no one saw. Good cointest, thanks. I hope at least you didn't get injured Quote Link to comment
+fingers crossed Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Oh, Fingers crossed, I really like your idea So, please don't take this wrong because I am god natured . . . If you used blue lights, your Great creation could become "SpongeBob SquarePants character, Squidward" He's a cool character on an even cooler program No offense taken , if I had some blue lights I would of given it a shot just for you! Unfortunately I don't. I had to go hunting to find the red ones as it was Thanks. Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Oh, Fingers crossed, I really like your idea So, please don't take this wrong because I am god natured . . . If you used blue lights, your Great creation could become "SpongeBob SquarePants character, Squidward" He's a cool character on an even cooler program No offense taken , if I had some blue lights I would of given it a shot just for you! Unfortunately I don't. I had to go hunting to find the red ones as it was Thanks. Quote Link to comment
+lindsychris Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Getting our entry in with just a few hours to spare. As soon as Chris saw this contest, he wanted to enter. We got the supplies last Monday, but this afternoon was the first time that he had a chance to put together his creation... Ta da... Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 And the winner is . . . Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 MERRY CHRISTMAS greetings to All you ! Quote Link to comment
+mousekakat Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 I know which one I like best! Wonder if FSM is going to agree! Some really fun entries here! Naomi Quote Link to comment
+BVnLJ Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 and the winner is....... bumpity bump Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Must be a slow week Quote Link to comment
Flying Spaghetti Monster Posted December 28, 2007 Author Share Posted December 28, 2007 Actually a busy week - sorry. I'm partial to the Moscow32 version (maybe because of the eyes) so I'm pronouncing that one the winner! The prize: One of the Copper versions of my coin (30 made, gifts only) - congrats! I appreciate the effort put into the other entries as well so I'm offering both fingerscrossed and lindsychris a Black Nickel version (red or blue) if interested. Either post here or let me know via PM what your address and preference is and I'll get them out in a few days. If I don't see anything in here in a day or so, I'll drop ya a PM myself. Thanks for the fun gang. Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Yee - haw, we have a winner Congratulations Moscow32. I have to agree, Those were some awesome eyes Quote Link to comment
+moscow32 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Let me use the word of the year here: Woot! Thanks for the contest. If anyone is interested, I'll tell you the secret of the googly eyes. Quote Link to comment
+BVnLJ Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 (edited) congrats moscow32 Edited December 28, 2007 by bvnlj Quote Link to comment
+imchasingshadows Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Great contest and thanks to the participants. Congratulations, Moscow32 Quote Link to comment
+lindsychris Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Just got back from Walt Disney World and saw the winner was announced. Congrats Moscow! We'd love a BN coin! We'll send you an email FSM! Thanks for the cointest! Quote Link to comment
+GPX Navigators Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Let me use the word of the year here: Woot! Thanks for the contest. If anyone is interested, I'll tell you the secret of the googly eyes. Ping Pong Balls with lights in 'em? Maybe? Congrats to the winners. Lots of fun to see the ideas! Quote Link to comment
+LadyBee4T Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Congratulations to the winners. All those lights are cool!! Quote Link to comment
+moscow32 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Ping Pong Balls with lights in 'em? Maybe? Congrats to the winners. Lots of fun to see the ideas! No, that was the fall back plan though. Actually we took some small clear glass ball ornaments, sprayed them with adhesive, and rubbed them with cornstarch. Then we used magic marker for the pupils. and then we put them on the light string. Thanks for the congrats, all. Quote Link to comment
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