All for smiles: 1044 N. Park St.

For Rob and Pam Dahlstedt, it's all about the Christmas cheer.

Pride in their decorations is clear, but so is the their desire to spread joy to their neighborhood.

"There's so much depression going on right now, and lights always cheer people up," Rob said.

"And for me," Pam said, "the gaudier the better."

Two toy soldiers stand on guard in front of their white house. Rob made those himself using a pattern he found. Around one side Mr. and Mrs. Claus lean in to steal a kiss and lollipops and ginger-bread men frolic in the back.

The Dahlstedts are one of three houses in Casper that won a city-wide Christmas lights competition judged by seasoned viewers from the Casper Senior Center.

Decorating all started when they moved into their north Casper home nine years ago. That year, only one strand of lights shone on the front of their house.

But each year, taking advantage of the after-Christmas sales, their lights multiplied, figures appeared and Christmas scenes expanded.

As a child, Rob loved looking at lights and wanted to pass that joy on to other kids. The couple has 11 grandkids; some even brag about their grandparents' lights in school.

They also like giving north Casper some extra cheer.

The area often carries a reputation for being the poorer section of town, Pam said, but since the two moved in, they've noticed only kind neighbors and friendly people.

"The people are fantastic, and it's a nice place to live," Pam said. "This is a way we can give back to the neighborhood."

The front of their house is running out of room, but the couple still has plans. Next year, they will start earlier, maybe right after Halloween, and their backyard will include a gingerbread town.

Part of the fun is the decorations - and winning a competition doesn't hurt - but what's most important to Pam and Rob are smiles and cheer.

Santa came to town: 3611 E. 23rd St.

Last year, Santa Claus came to 3611 E. 23rd St.

Right in front of their house, he stood, passed out candy canes, shook hands, chatted and created a line of cars around the block and then some.

Terry and Debbie Dailey hope he returns back this year.

In the mean time, they decorated their house like the past eight or nine years, with passion and vigor.

It all started with plywood cutouts that their two children, now grown, would help set up in the yard.

Terry claims the outside of the house for his territory, Debbie the inside.

Each year, they try to collect new and different things to decorate with. Terry owns a trucking company, and while he's traveling, he likes to find items others in Casper might not have.

This year, the new cheer included a blow-up stable with reindeer heads bobbing in the wind and LED lights to try and save on their energy bills. They hadn't yet received a bill to know if the new lights helped.

The inflatable decorations rank as some of their favorites. Frosty the Snowman used to stand 12 feet tall in their front yard. But, after many years in Wyoming wind, he's begun to sag and droop. Terry still loves the snowman, though, and put him up again this year.

It's still fun, the couple said, especially when Santa comes to visit.

A Chevy Christmas 1044 S. Boxelder

A 1955 Chevy truck sits in their driveway, with 20 strings of lights wrapped in every direction.

The Bennetts have lights on their house every year, but this was the first year for the truck, which they weren't planning on driving this winter.

Wendy Bennett is the main instigator behind the Christmas lights. She's the one that decides every year when to start and motivates her two teenage boys and 9-year-old daughter to start work.

She usually begins after Thanksgiving, but this year she and the boys began work on the truck in early November. It took three days to completely wrap the pickup - longer than she would have thought.

She's not sure why the tradition started, but she knows the time: when she, her husband and kids bought their own house.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com