Every year, my family makes a trek down Peacock Lane. For two weeks every December, horse-drawn carriages, heavy traffic and roughly 300 billion Xmas lights fill this block in SE Portland. One house, in particular, has been a favorite since as far back as I can remember. A plywood Grinch and his would-be reindeer pooch stand beside a storybook strewn with a passage from the Dr. Suess classic.

Sometime in the '90s, vandals snuck into the neighborhood in the middle of the night and beheaded the Grinch. If memory serves, various local news organizations picked up the story. Eventually, the head was returned. To cover up his "scar," a large bow now graces the Grinch's neck.

Peacock Lane's lights go on at 6 p.m. each night through Dec. 31, off at 11 PM, with the exception of New Year's Eve when they'll keep glowing until midnight.