By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The annual free Crestlights lighting contest for the Crest Forest area was started seven years ago by Grayson Lopez and was continued this year by his brother, Tim. This lighting and decorating competition is done in a festive spirit, designed to encourage spreading holiday joy throughout the mountain by illuminating the community with holiday lights on residences and businesses.
“Our communities are so filled with love at this time of year. Let’s spread our holiday cheer by decorating our homes and businesses for all to share,” said Grayson Lopez, when beginning the contest.
The other side of the Wurtz Winter Wonderland winning display on Chillon in Crestline.
For the second year in a row, the Wurtz family lit up their neighborhood and, by adding a powered sleigh with reindeer to their design for the neighbors and visitors to ride in, they outdid themselves and won the honor and trophy for 2025.
The Wurtz family just loves to decorate for the holidays and to be involved in both their neighborhood and community. They spend a month decorating and they like that the neighbors stop by and they talk together as the family decorates. They invite their neighbors to come to enjoy “hot cocoa night” on the first weekend in December. The weather was perfect this month for their neighbors to come, bring their kids and share their joy of the holiday season.
“Since we are the first house on the block, it sets the mood for the neighborhood for the holiday season. We will keep the lights up through the 12th day of Christmas as long as the weather permits,” said Steph Wurtz. “The winds did affect the tall roof décor, at 960 Chillon in the San Moritz area of Crestline, but the rest were not affected.” The Wurtz family was thrilled to receive the nutcracker-themed trophy. They hope to make the display even better next year.
Nick Wurtz and Steph are high school sweethearts, who have two sons who attend Valley of Enchantment Elementary School, where Steph is the VOE PTA vice president. Their sons play Little League and Nick is one of their coaches. They love the five years they have lived in the mountains.
The Nutcracker trophy presented to the Wurtz family, who won the Crestlights contest for 2025.
The contest was created to recognize those who make the Crestline community sparkle with holiday joy, because it lifts the spirits of those who see them. It is easy to be involved and more people this year decided to be enrolled in the contest and there were many more who just decorated this year, putting up exterior lighting for the holidays. Maybe they were inspired by the chamber’s “Holidays in the Pines” décor they put up along Lake Drive. While driving around judging the Crestlights contest, the judges saw several other beautiful homes, elegantly lit, that had not registered and hope those homes register for the contest next year.
The trophies were presented by Lopez just before the storms of Christmas. The Wurtz family proudly posted pictures on Instagram and Facebook of their lighting display and are thrilled they won again. They already have additional ideas for next season.
“I’m glad Crestlights made Crestline the sparkling Christmas jewel of the mountaintop again this year,” added Lopez. A list of addresses that were registered, and a small map of those who were participating, was posted on Facebook even before all the judging had taken place, enabling everyone to be able to drive around and enjoy the many decorated homes and business. Weather permitting most of the decorated homes have said they plan to keep the décor up until Jan. 6, the 12th day of Christmas.
The name, “Wurtz Winter Wonderland” was given to the display by one of the neighborhood kids who visited it last year, when he saw all the sparking lights. The family has warmly embraced the name and are happy that their efforts, their lights and their sleigh have brought the neighborhood together at this special time of year.
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