Decorating her house seemed like a fun way to pass the afternoon, but the activity soon turned into much more for Doris Brooks.

A new resident of Southside in St. David's, Mrs. Brooks said she was getting tired of watching workers put the finishing touches on her home.

"I was waiting on workers. I opened a box and found Christmas bows and decided to go outside and decorate the house,'' the owner and manager of the Double Dip Too ice cream parlour in Smith's Parish said.

But she admitted: "I had no intention of it going this far.'' Her life was put on hold to complete the decorations, Mrs. Brooks said, and the simple act became a mission to bring goodwill and Christmas cheer to all her fellow new homeowners.

"I was the first one here,'' she said of the new development at the former US base lands managed by the Bermuda Land Development Company. "I watched others move in and thought that they might not be able to have or afford Christmas this year so I decided to represent Southside.

"It was certainly more than I bargained for.

"It was all time consuming, but I enjoyed doing it.'' Mrs. Brooks is amazed by the amount of attention the decorations have drawn.

"People from not only Southside, but all over St. David's, have stopped by to welcome me to the neighbourhood and comment on the decorations,'' she said.

Although most of the work was done alone, Mrs. Brooks did have help for half a day from her mother and sister.

"We are delighted that Doris decked out her house with Christmas lights and entered the Festival of Lights on behalf of Southside,'' said Don Grearson, a spokesperson for the BLDC.

"In a quirky kind of way, Mrs. Brooks has signalled that there is a new neighbourhood in town.'' Even though Mrs. Brooks' home, "Double Struggle'', did not place in the annual Festival of Lights, she is ready and excited for next year.

"Even though I didn't win I enjoyed it,'' she said. "Now I know to start earlier, like in October.''