Visiting guidelines & contest rules

Before you visit

• Respect private property. View from public areas unless the homeowner explicitly invites visitors into a designated viewing area. Stay out of yards, driveways, porches, and other restricted areas. Do not touch decorations or equipment.
• Keep roads and driveways clear. Park legally, leave room for emergency vehicles, and follow traffic signs. Do not stop where it is unsafe or block a neighbor's access.
• Honor visiting hours. Follow the homeowner's posted schedule, signs, and instructions. Do not knock on doors to ask for lights to be turned on. Leave if asked.
• Watch the conditions. Darkness, traffic, ice, snow, uneven surfaces, cords, and crowds can create hazards. Supervise children and keep pets under control. Choose another time if conditions are unsafe.
• Be a good neighbor. Keep noise down, take litter with you, and avoid shining lights into homes. Avoid photographing people or private areas without permission.
• Use directions safely. Plan your route before driving. A passenger can use the map; drivers should pull over safely before interacting with a phone.

Your responsibility & use at your own risk

Listings are community submitted. Addresses, map pins, hours, photos, descriptions, and display availability may be incomplete, inaccurate, or out of date. Approval for the map is a moderation decision, not a property inspection or safety certification.

Southern Tier Lights and STNYM do not operate, inspect, or supervise the individual displays or properties. Property owners control access to their property and may change their hours, switch off a display, or withdraw a listing.

You choose whether, when, and how to travel or visit. You are responsible for following the law, property restrictions, posted instructions, and safe driving and walking practices.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Southern Tier Lights and STNYM disclaim liability for loss, injury, or property damage arising from travel to or attendance at third-party displays, conditions at those locations, or reliance on inaccurate listing information. Nothing on this page excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or takes away rights you have under applicable law.

For an emergency, contact emergency services. A removal request or message to the site is not an emergency reporting channel.

Contest & verified voting

Voting dates and any prize promotion will be announced here once confirmed. You can browse, submit, and share displays while voting is closed.

1. One vote per person, per house, per day. You may support more than one house and return to vote again on another day. A day runs from midnight to midnight in America/New_York; daylight-saving changes follow that time zone. Using extra email addresses, automated tools, or other methods to cast more than one vote for the same house on the same day is prohibited.
2. Email verification is required. Only verified, eligible votes count. You must complete verification while voting is open; requesting a verification email alone does not count as a vote. The day is assigned when your vote is confirmed, including if confirmation happens after midnight. A remembered verified browser can vote again on a later day without another email while its verification session is valid.
3. Only approved contest entries can appear in the standings. Being published on the map does not enter a house in the contest. The homeowner or authorized operator must verify their email, pass ownership review, and separately choose to enter this season. Votes associated with duplicate or merged listings are reconciled so the same voter is not counted twice for one house.
4. Fair voting matters. Suspected abuse may be held for review or excluded. Totals may change after verification, duplicate cleanup, removals, or integrity review.
5. Ties share a rank. The Top 5 page includes all houses tied at fifth place. Eligible daily votes accumulate toward the season total. The leaderboard shows those totals; a position on it does not automatically award a prize.
6. No purchase or marketing signup is required to vote. Sharing a house is optional. Sponsors do not buy votes or ranking positions.

No prize is promised by these general rules. Any prize promotion must publish its specific eligibility, prize, dates, tie-breaking procedure, and award process before it begins.

See the Top 5 standings · Explore the map

Listings, photos & homeowner removals

Community members may suggest a display visible from public areas for a map listing. A suggestion does not grant property access, establish ownership, enter the homeowner in the contest, or subscribe them to email. Owners and authorized operators can claim an existing listing through email verification and moderator review. Provide an accurate location and visiting details. Submit only photos you own or have permission to publish, and keep private contact information out of descriptions and images.

A listing's display name, address or map location, visiting details, and approved photos can be public and shared. Submissions and updates are moderated. Owners can submit updates for moderation, choose contest participation, and unpublish their verified display. Moderators may correct, merge, reject, or unpublish listings that are inaccurate, duplicated, unsafe to promote, or reported by the homeowner.

If your property is listed without permission, you need a correction, or you want it removed, return to the map and select Homeowner Removal Request. Include enough information to identify the listing. Requests are reviewed; sending one does not instantly remove a listing.

Go to the homeowner removal option

Optional emails & sponsor offers

Verified, approved contest owners may separately choose personalized standings and sharing reminders, daily or every three days during active voting. Updates are checked each morning from 9:00 a.m. New York time. Each email includes a way to stop standings updates without withdrawing the house. Bonus votes are not awarded for clicking links.

Voting and display submissions do not subscribe you to marketing emails. Holiday updates, offers delivered by Southern Tier Lights, and permission to share your contact details with a selected sponsor are separate choices.

Choose only the updates you want, confirm your email when requested, and unsubscribe whenever you wish. An offer or sponsor placement does not guarantee that a business, coupon, or third-party service will meet your needs. Check the offer's own terms and expiration date.

Read the privacy policy