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WHEN it comes to going all out for a Christmas display, it's hard to go past North Bendigo resident Rob Clark.
The winner of last year's Bendigo Advertiser and Hume & Iser Home Hardware Christmas lights competition spends months coming up with ideas for his display creations, consisting largely of painted wooden cutouts.
Mr Clark's win in the annual competition last year was all the sweeter for it being the first year he had entered his Holdsworth Rd home in the competition.
This year, Mr Clark said he had been "flat out" planning and creating new display items, and would spend one final fortnight putting it all together and setting it up.
"I've still got a 5-ft tall toy soldier to cut out and 5-ft tall nutcracker to go," he said.
On Friday, Mr Clark was busy putting the finishing touches on one of his new wooden creations this year - a 6-ft by 4-ft image of Santa astride a Harley Davidson he dubs the 'Santa Cycle'.
Mr Clark said he had no problems ditching Santa's reindeers in favour of a more Australian-friendly mode of transport.
It's the fun of it and about getting more people involved.
- Rob Clark
"I do traditional and non-traditional Christmas things, like I have an Australian Christmas section," he said.
He said adding a bit of humour and having people engage with the creations was part of the fun.
"I've got more things this year, I have an elf riding a reindeer, a cat coming out of a boot, it's going to be a purrfect Christmas," he said.
"Some people don't like people taking photos, but I like people to come in and take photos with the display.
"The kids love it."
Mr Clark said another highlight of doing the display was meeting hundreds of passers by.
"I have a ball doing it, I get out there and hand out candy canes," he said.
"Last year I handed out 500 candy canes."
As to how he rated his chances of winning the competition two years in a row, Mr Clark said he was just caught up in the Christmas spirit.
"We'll give it a crack," he said.
"It's the fun of it and about getting more people involved."
To list list your home, fill in the coupon on page 32 of Saturday's Bendigo Advertiser and drop it into the Bendigo Advertiser office to collect your Christmas Lights poster.
The Bendigo Advertiser will run a Christmas Lights map with all the listings throughout December, and readers will be able to vote for their favourite homes and displays online at www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au from Monday, December 15, to Monday, December 22.
The Bendigo Advertiser will publish pictures of entries throughout December.
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