They enjoy a good post-holiday clearance sale at their local home-improvement or hardware store. If somebody has a good deal on Christmas decorations for next year, Lisa and Jess Realander want to know about it.
After sunset, the glow of the Realander house at the corner of S Central Ave. and W Fourth St. is visible for blocks to anyone approaching to see the holiday display. That’s just the way they like it. The couple’s house was judged the winning residential entry in the New Prague Chamber’s holiday lighting contest. The Schmidt family won the second-place residential award. Scott County Abstract & Title won the top award for businesses. Marquardt Jewelers was the runner-up in the business category.
Chamber staff posted on its social media page: “Winners were chosen based on creativity, use of lights, and overall design – and let us tell you, every display was beautiful and made the decision incredibly tough.”
For the Realanders, winning a prize wasn’t their primary motivation. They were unaware of the competition until this year, Lisa Realander said. The couple enjoys seeing homeowners decorate their houses with holiday lighting – the more creative the better.
“It’s a competition we’d love to lose. We wouldn’t mind if we finished last,” she said. “We just like to see houses decorated. We’d love it if New Prague had about 20 houses decorated like this.”
The brighter the better
The Realanders have lived in New Prague for about...
To see more on this story pick up the January 1, 2026 print edition of The New Prague Times.