A group of seniors from Ste. Anne have chosen the winner for this year’s Christmas Lights Contest.

Chris Barnard, President of the Ste. Anne Lions Club, explains a group of seniors toured the community on a school bus last night to scope out the best-decorated homes. The seniors then returned to Villa Youville for dessert and hot chocolate, photos with Santa and voted on the winners.

Lorraine Gauthier, one of the participants, pointed out there were not as many homes decorated this year compared to last but says the lights were beautiful none the less.

"I think it was great," says Gauthier, "I mean we get to see all the Christmas lights in Ste. Anne which is an outing for us old seniors from the Ste. Anne senior home and it’s nice."

Barnard says a lot of these seniors have lived in the community for most of their lives but with all the recent growth in the town, he adds some don't recognize their hometown. 

"Very different," says Gauthier who went to school in Ste. Anne and only recently moved back to the community at Villa Youville. "This was just a little town, some of the houses were farmers actually in my day and age so now it’s not a farmers town anymore, it’s just a plain little town."

The seniors voted 217 St. Alphonse Street as the first prize winner, in second place is 19 Vermette Place and third is 7 Desrosiers Place.