We open 2009 by saying goodbye to Winter WonderLights at Sunnyside, the newest creation from the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze team.

It's gone for now, but certainly not forgotten, thanks to the magic of digital imaging. Yes, Virginia, there is a Winter WonderLights YouTube contest, and we've already get several entries. Still working on yours? There is still time! Get your footage edited and uploaded to YouTube by Friday and you are eligible to win an iPod touch, courtesy of WHUD.

Full rules are here.

We'll be reviewing the entries next week. Thanks to all who took part!

The New York Times published an excellent article about Winter WonderLights on Sunday, along with this stunning image by longtime Times photographer Alan Zale, who was kind enough to share it with us.

The article talks about the "enchanted, walkable winter forest" visitors will discover at Sunnyside, the homestead of Washington Irving and all the lights on display.

In an elaborate display of outdoor illumination, the first-ever Winter WonderLights will make use of tens of thousands of LED lights, two miles of electroluminescent wire, 1,500 feet of rope light, 571 theatrical lighting fixtures and 14.7 miles of electrical cable. In all, that's 68,965 individual points of light along a half-mile path.

Make sure you're not left in the dark this December. The illumination begins Thursday.

Seventy thousand points of light, miles of electroluminescent wire and cable, and funky, hand-made sculptures of candy, flowers, animals, and a guy you might have heard of named Rip Van Winkle. Oh yea, and cookies and cocoa. Lots and lots of cookies and cocoa. And did I mention it's all created by the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze team. Interested? I thought so. Read on...

Winter WonderLights is the latest Historic Hudson Valley blockbuster event. It's a massive walk-through holiday lights display that will illuminate the woodlands at Washington Irving's Sunnyside starting Dec. 11.

What's the theme? Why, Rip Van Winkle's dreams of course, which means you will encounter Henry Hudson's men, an oversize candyland forest featuring - you guessed it - oversize candy, and giant DayGlo toadstools, among other fascinating finds.

Featuring nearly 70,000 points of light and scores of original sculpture, Winter WonderLights uses energy saving LED lighting technology and sculptures created on site form recycled and repurposed material, such as super cool life-size animals made from fallen limbs and twigs.

Wanna come see? Winter WonderLights takes place for 17 evenings, Dec. 11-14, 18-23, 26-30, and Jan. 2-3. The first reservation each evening is at 4:15. Click here for tickets.

HVBlog will be shining throughout December with lots of Winter WonderLights talk and images. More. To. Come.

The falling leaves, cold temperatures, and dormant plants that mark autumn invoke a degree of sadness in gardeners, hard-core and casual alike. What to do as the days grow short and the flower beds grow tired? How about getting some pointers to apply once next year's season begins anew?

On Saturday, Dec. 6, Sarah Price, landscape director at Montgomery Place, will be teaching a continuing education class at Bard College, right next door to MP, called "Getting Started with Perennials." Part of a series hosted by the New York Botanical Garden, the class is $42 for their members and $47 for the general public.

Here's Sarah's course description:

"Perennials return year after year to provide color and texture in our gardens. Be inspired by beautiful plant combinations and discover the most dependable perennials for lower maintenance and long-term beauty. Learn the basics of perennial gardens, including soil preparation and planting techniques, plant selection, design, and maintenance."

Sarah definitely knows what she's talking about and loves to share her knowledge. Her Montgomery Place peonies are shown here.

Check out this link for more info and to sign up for the class.

It definitely took a bit longer for the judges to pick the winner in the final week of the Blaze YouTube Video Contest. Not only were there a large number of entries, there were a large number of outstanding entries, making it very hard to pick the topmost auteur during the final weekend of Blaze.

Those honors, however, go to Christopher Davis, who took a very cool approach to the contest, turning in a mock movie trailer for the Blaze. He takes home an iPod touch, courtesy of WHUD.

The judges also asked me to post the link to a great entry from Luis Martinez, who came in a real close second.

The first link is to Christopher's vid, the second is to Luis's. Enjoy 'em both and keep your cams charged for next year's Blaze.

A special thanks to all those who entered this October's four YouTube contests.