The Display-Off To End All Display-Offs, Indeed!

No one was more surprised than I was when I got the phone call to judge Round 3 of the Display-Off between The Mostess and Ashley C. (actually, it wasn't a phone call, but I digress):

The Chief

Lord Barrister

I mean, despite my extensive experience in the judicial arena (which includes, bytheway, operating a blog with the word "Court" in the name), you never really feel like you are really prepared for this type of experience.

I mean, this is The Mostess versus Ashley C.--two veritable titans of the Blogosphere.  And Round 3 no less!

It might as well have been the Immovable Object versus the Irresistible Force; Coyote vs. the Roadrunner; Batman vs. the Joker; Yankees vs. Red Sox; or Game 7 of the Celtics vs. Lakers.

You cannot imagine the pressure of making a bad decision in a contest this important.  I mean, you know that Ashley C. is going to be bringing her "A" game.  And you know that the Mostess doesn't even have a "B" game.  Heck, that's why they call her the "Mostess" for goodness sake!

And no matter what decision is made, someone is going to be disappointed.  It's inevitable.  But then I realized that someone had to do it.  And then I thought a little more about it and realized that I am not one to back down from a challenge.

That and the realization that I would be getting paid big bucks to make this decision.  And by "big bucks" I mean nothing, so you know why there was no way that I could turn down this (ahem) opportunity.  (Only later would I learn that my selection was pretty much by default because no one else was willing to do it...)

So I am ready to suffer the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" as Shakespeare put it--or perhaps more accurately, the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism sure to meet whatever decision I make.

But enough about me...Let's get to the Display-Off!

The Good:

Definitely Hooty:

Who doesn't love owls?  Especially at Thanksgiving.  They're a HOOT!

Let's face it, even though I'm one of the judges, there is no way that I could ever come up with any of this stuff!  And as The Mostess famously quoted Ashley C. (in a rare moment of "sister"-hood and sportsmanship for this otherwise heated rivalry): "...the visitors to our homes are the real winners in all of this."

Both Ashley C. and The Mostess are right.  We are the winners for being able to see their amazing sense of creativity and festive Fall holiday spirit.  But enough of this sappiness!

The Bad:

The Famous Homemade Life-Size Mummy

Ashley C.:  I hate to say this, but you took the bait and fell into The Mostess' trap (when The Mostess warned that the criteria for this contest would not be based on the following philosophy:. "No I love candy, so Ashley wins' business going on in this ever-important round!") when you failed to include your famous candy in your display!

If you did it to keep me from getting sick on your six-year-old candy, you are forgiven.  :-)

The Mostess:  Where was the life-size Mummy?  I'm fairly certain that would have sealed the deal early on (and spared me from having to write this massive post and all the rest of you from having to read it!).

Ashley C:  I'm not going to lie...I did miss the handmade penguin pinata.  With two PDR's and three birds in the display, your formidable display might well have proven insurmountable.

A Thanksgiving Penguin?

The Ugly:
Let's face it, there is nothing ugly about either of these worthy submissions.  :-)

The Deliberations:

PDR x 2

The Front Door

This was not an easy decision.  I saw The Mostess' display first and thought: "This will be hard to beat."

Then I saw Ashley C.'s display and thought: "How can you not choose this one?"

I studied both and then did what all good judges do.  I went to bed and decided to sleep on it.

I knew that I was going to need some additional resources to decide this one.

So I went into my office and decided to do something productive with my work computer by putting up both displays side by side.

Even that was not enough, so I had to pull up individual pictures of each display--side by side--so that I could really focus on the details.  (see example above and at right...)

And even then, there was no clear winner.

I realized that I needed to try and come up with a set of criteria that was fair and equitable.  Because honestly, the criteria for the decision--for my decision at least--would dictate the decision.

My first thought was to decide whether I should judge based on sheer volume of display/bounteousness.  If I used that as my criteria, clearly The Mostess would win.  I mean she had (as far as I could tell), three entirely distinct areas for her display.  Ashley C., on the other hand, did not have as many areas or as much stuff.

And yet to go on that criteria alone would not have been fair because (since I've never been to either house), maybe The Mostess has a much bigger house and yard than Ashley C.  Or maybe Ashley C. is worried that if she puts out as much stuff in her display, it will mysteriously disappear during the night.

And also, as we all know, bigger isn't necessarily better (i.e. look at our bloated federal government) and good things come in small packages.

Then I thought, well maybe the criteria should be "restraint."  I mean Ashley C. would certainly agree with that.  ("...But also the key to a great Spooktacular display is RESTRAINT..."), so she could hardly fault me if I used that as my criteria.

"Restraint"

And in fact, if I did use "RESTRAINT" as my sole criteria, I think that Ashley C. would win.  Yes, it was smaller than The Mostess' display, but it was all there in one neat, tidy, balanced, symmetrical, pleasantly-arranged, visually-appealing, pyramid-like cornucopia of "bounteous" goodness.

But to use that would not be fair to The Mostess because she is apparently from the "Go Big or Go Home" school of thought.  And it probably is tougher to show restraint when you have a bigger porch area or more stuff to fit in to your display.

So then I decided that maybe the solution was to look at individual elements and to see what elements each person had.

I noticed that Ashley had a very festive wreath on her front door.  But then I looked at The Mostess' display and she too had a wreath that was perhaps even more festive.

Then I looked at The Mostess' and thought how great her cornstalks looked (she is from Iowa after all!).  Then I looked at Ashley C.'s blog and realized that she too had cornstalks (and apparently was the one who sacrificed life and limb to get them).

And so it went:

Vintage crates:  Check. Check.
Indian corn:  Check. Check.
Pumpkins:  Check. Check.
Squash:  Check.  Check.
Gourds:  Check. Check.
Fall Foliage (Leaves, grasses, branches, seed pods):  Check. Check. Check.


I could go on nearly all day!  (And sadly, you probably think I have--if you even read this far!)

So let's get on to some of the more important things:

PDR:

Ashley C. included her famous PDR.  But wait, The Mostess "saw" her PDR and raised her one Pilgrim's hat  PDR!  But before you get too excited, let's remember that Ashley C. was the one who came up with the PDR in the first place.  Call that one a draw.

This PDR stands for "Piece Deux Resistance"...

Cornucopia:

And we can't forget the Cornucopia.  What would Thanksgiving be without a Horn of Plenty?  The Mostess had one of course.  But Ashley C. made a calculated decision to omit the traditional horn because they are "played [out]".  Instead, Ashley C. went with a "whimsical" pumpkin turkey.

A Turkey - The "Lesser-Known" Thanksgiving Bird
(Behind Owls of Course!)

Did Ashley C. take a risk?  Yes, she did.  Did it pay off?  Yes.  But I still call this one a draw as well.

Trash-Talking:

Yes, what would a Display-Off be without the usual assortment of good-natured insults and jibes?  As you know, in this country the fourth Thursday of every November is a day of thanks (and turkeys) but "thankfully" Ashley C. and The Mostess do not let us forget that it is also a day for another "T"--Taunts.  ;)

The Mostess concludes her post by writing: "Bring it Carter!! Let's see what you got!"

Undaunted by The Mostess' jab, Ashley C. helps us by playfully including a "picture" of The Mostess' display.  

  

She also throws in a few verbal barbs along the way...all in good fun of course!  Edge:  Even.

Other Details:

And we really are down to details.  But don't despair.  I will cast my vote for a winner.  I'm too much of a sports fan to ever be satisfied with a tie.  Because having a tie is like kissing your sister. 

Ashley C.'s display incorporates some really cool "vintage-y" lanterns.  One is filled with small gourds and squashes (or is its squashi?).  The other appears to be filled with acorns.

The Mostess' display has vintage items like a picnic basket filled with Mums (sadly no mummies though) and a milk jug with grasses in it.  She also has some delicious looking green crab apples in a harvest basket (just don't eat them. I think they're plastic) and a tin bucket with a white pumpkin in it.

Conclusion:


Both displays have their merits.  There are lots of good points and really no bad points.

In the end, the criteria that I had to use was which of these Bountiful Harvest displays was most visually appealing on the whole.  They both incorporated many of the same elements and yet were original and different from each other.

Ashley C.'s greatest strength was the simplicity and concise layout of her display.  It really is amazing how she was able to pull so many disparate elements into one harmonious display.

The Mostess' talents were also on display and she showed why she has certainly lived up to her nickname.

On another day, with another set of criteria, my final vote could probably change, but for me, the difference maker in this contest was that The Mostess was able to incorporate the green crab apples and white pumpkin into her display and that is what put her over the top in my book.

Yes, The Mostess, the unique variety of colors do make this display "so inviting to guests as they walk up the path..."  ;)

Congratulations, my vote goes to: The Mostess!