Show Us Your Best Holiday Lights

There's nothing like a street done up in festive lights to get you in the holiday spirit. From rows of sparkling houses to village greens lit up by giant Christmas trees, it's the ultimate way to spread holiday cheer.

That's why we'll be showing off the best, brightest and Patchiest hometown holiday lights this year. If you've transformed your front lawn into a full-blown North Pole, or if your display puts Clark Griswold's to shame, we want to see it!

Are you ready to film your lights display? Here's what to do, plus a brilliant bit of video inspiration submitted from Naperville, IL:

#1 Hit record

Take a quick video of your house or storefront's holiday lights. When making your videos, be sure to keep these simple tips and tricks in mind:

• Keep your video short and sweet — no longer than 1:15, to be exact.
• Hold your camera or phone steady by keeping your elbows tucked to your sides.
• Be careful not to move the camera around quickly. Hold a shot for at least 5 seconds so we can take in the details!

#2 Press Send

Email your video to us at submissions@patch.com. Each submission MUST include:

• Your Patch town in the subject line
• Your name in the email
• Any and every detail you can give us describing your submission!

#3 See your video featured on the Patch

We'll be featuring our favorite submissions on Patch.com and on Facebook all month long — and the fun has already started! Check out this video just in from Illinois, then read the amazing story behind it.

"This year we were unable to put it up due to my husband having a shoulder injury. Thanksgiving night we received a call from a neighbor saying it just wasn’t the same without our house lit up and he asked if he could set it up and take it down for us all we needed to do was direct. That showed us the true meaning of Christmas." — Karen M. of Naperville, IL

Note: By submitting video you are granting Patch permission to publish that video on all of its domains and outlets.

Need giftspiration? Check out Patch's 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

First Photo: Joern Pollex/Getty Images