For the third consecutive year, the King Department of Parks and Recreation is sponsoring its Christmas Parade of Porches.

Don’t let the name fool you — anyone sitting on Main Street waiting for a string of porches to roll by will be waiting a long time.

The event provides a way for county residents and visitors interested in seeing Christmas decorations to get a map which highlights where many of the homes done up in Yuletide decor are located.

And, according to Olivia Calloway, director of the department, it is a means for those who enjoy decorating their home to have a way to let fans know where their homes are.

”We started it in 2020, this will be our third year,” Calloway said of the rolling event. “It was in the time of COVID, everyone was isolating, the initial idea was a way to get people out and spread Christmas cheer during that time, when people couldn’t get together. But it blew up, it was really popular and everyone enjoyed it, everyone wanted to keep it going.”

So that is what she and her department did.

The way it works is that folks who enjoy decorating their homes — be it with simple ribbons and bows, or a veritable Griswald Christmas wonderland — can supply their address to the recreation department. There, Calloway puts together a map showing where the homes are. Fans of Christmasy decorated homes can use the map to drive the county and check out the holiday scenes.

“The map will initially go online on Dec. 1,” Calloway said. “If they (homeowners) want to register and be on the initial map, they need to do that by Nov. 30. But, if they don’t get to it on time, I can still add them to the map. If they submit the information to me using our website, I’ll have it on the map within two business days after they register.”

Those who go to the trouble of decorating and registering can get a little something more than simple gratification for providing a nice Christmas tour of the county — visitors going to see the homes can go online and vote for their favorite.

“We put a sign out in the yards,” Calloway said. “We put a first, second, and third place sign for bragging rights, and we give away Amazon gift cards.”

The first version of the map, she said, will be available at the recreation…