By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

When it came time for the Pelham Beautification Board to award the city’s annual “Power Express” Christmas decoration award this year, it wasn’t a hard decision, said board member Joel Price.

“It’s hard to beat that. I don’t think anyone had lights like that,” Price said of David and Barbara Phillips’ house at 12 Red Fox Drive.

The Phillips’ home – a perennial powerhouse in Pelham’s Christmas light contest – boasted more than 60,000 lights this year, which was up considerably from the past few years.

In early December, David Phillips said he had 15 circuits dedicated to Christmas lights at the house, and said he had nearly maxed out the home’s electrical capacity. This year, the entire family pitched in to help set up the monstrous display, helping the house to secure the 2013 Power Express award for best resembling Clark Griswold’s house from the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

The Power Express award was one of four recognitions the Beautification Board handed out after touring the city on Dec. 10. During the tour, Beautification Board members boarded the Pelham Senior Center bus and traveled through each Pelham neighborhood in search of winners in four categories.

Keith Tatum’s house on Stoneykirk Way won the residential category and the Ballantrae roundabout won the neighborhood award.

“In both cases, there were a beautiful assortment of decorations,” Price said. “There was no particular theme, but they were all beautiful. The roundabout was something you would have wanted to take a Christmas photo with.”

The commercial winner was the Publix supermarket on Huntley Parkway, which was outlined in white lights and was visible from much of eastern Pelham.