The Felix family from Dallas, GA received thousands of votes to win Patch's Deck the House contest and $100,000 for their local school district.
In this year's Deck the House contest, the second time was the charm.
Joseph Felix's home in Dallas, GA outshined the other 24 finalists to win the 2012 Deck the House contest and $100,000 for the Paulding County, GA school district.
After placing second in the nationwide voting in the 2011 contest, the Felix home received nearly 11,000 votes this year to finally win Deck the House.
The home, with 100,000 computer animated holiday lights choreographed to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You," received about 300 more votes than a home in Coventry, R.I., which finished in second place.
Joe Koss, from St. Clair Shores, entered the contest for the first-time this year and finished in the top 10 of voting. Koss and his family utilized social media to invite friends and neighbors to vote in the contest in their quest to win $100,000 for South Lake Schools.
Judging by the 80 comments on the Felixes' Deck the House submission, visiting the home has become a holiday tradition in Dallas, a suburb about 45 minutes outside Atlanta. Many people said they bring their children every year and that the Felixes’ hard work putting together their holiday lights display was worthy of national recognition.
The Felixes' holiday lights aren't just for show. According to their website, Joseph and his wife, Jenny, began using their holiday lights display in 2006 to raise money for Relay for Life, a national cancer charity, collecting $12,000 from 2006-2010. With their Deck the House win, the Felixes now have raised even more money for a worthwhile cause—$100,000 for their local schools.
Patch will present the Felixes with their $100,000 prize check during a local presentation in early 2013.
Big congrats to the Felix family for winning our 2012 Deck the House contest!
