Once upon a time, (okay, it was 2020) there was a small history organization located in a pretty town a few miles west of New York City. One day, the little organization found out it had somehow made it into USA Today's Top10 Readers' Choice Awards for the 10Best Holiday House Tour. This came as no surprise to people in the know. The Garden Club of Montclair had been decorating the Crane House and Historic YWCA for decades and had always put their heart and soul into it. Couple their artistry with a fireside candlelight tour and, well, the rest is history.
But competition was fierce. That little organization was up against some pretty heavy hitters: the Breakers, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Graceland ... and you know how those Elvis fans are! Nonetheless, the community from far and wide turned out to support the little organization, voting everyday during the contest.
The townsfolk and people from miles beyond watched excitedly as their rank in the leaderboard climbed. Up, up, up the Montclair History Center rose in the rankings until they settled into the number 4 spot. IN THE NATION! And number 1 in the Northeast! Not bad at all for a "little engine that could." Plus, they won the right to display the coveted 10Best badge (on the photo above) this year
Can we make it to the top three this year? With your help, yes! You can vote once a day through December 6 at noon. The 10 winners will be announced on Friday, December 17.
A few tricks we've learned from last year:
1) Spread the word by forwarding this email.
2) Share it on social media!
3) Set a reminder on your phone to vote everyday at a certain time
4) Make your reminder a task you do everyday. (Brush your teeth, then vote!)