John Ragno is one of many who
will devote hours to decorating their homes for the 13th annual
Illuminations Tour Dec. 19. The trolley tours take onlookers past homes
adorned with glowing lights and ornate holiday displays. The tour
guides share stories about the families who decorate their homes in
addition to local Somerville trivia.

"It's harder when you're
older to get excited for Christmas, but decorating my house and
daughters' homes really puts me in the Christmas spirit and it also
gets my grandchildren excited for the holiday as well," Ragno said.

Children also inspire the Armata household as they began decorating their home for their own children decades ago.

"Now
that my children are grown, we have my grandchildren to share this
with," Maria Armata said. "Sunday night they all came over as we lit
the house for the first time. It's a big deal for the family, it's
almost a holiday in itself."

Decoration styles vary. Lenny
"Iggy" Rigione on Central Street is known for his handmade work while
Ragno decorates his daughters' homes with Peanuts and Disney characters.

The Armatas, previous winners of the best decorated home, put a full week of work into their elaborate displays.

"Every
year we buy new decorations and make a whole new scene so people won't
get bored with our house," Maria Armata said. "My husband will sit in
bed and talk about what decorations he wants to put up tomorrow. He
truly loves the spirit of the holiday."

This year's tour will
include the first ever English and Portuguese trolley. The bilingual
trolley, with tour guides who are part of the Inter-cambio Language
Exchange program, departs at 6:15 p.m. on Dec. 19 – with organizer
strongly suggesting tickets be bought in advance.

Departing from
the Somerville City Hall, the 45-minute tour will also conclude there
with live entertainment, including music by the Somerville Community
Chorus. There will also be craft activities for children.

Proceeds
go towards funding the public programs of the Somerville Arts Council.
If tickets do sell out, a $3 tour map will be provided on the night of
the event. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors,
and can be purchased at the Blue Cloud Gallery at 713 Broadway in Ball
Square.

For more information about the Somerville Arts Council visit www.SomervilleArtsCouncil.org