My Christmas Lights Are Better Than Yours
It’s that time of the year: everyone is putting their holiday decorations up. I bet no matter where you live, your Christmas lights display is not as good as mine! Absolutely nothing is better (or crazier) than Dyker Heights decorations in Brooklyn! I mean, it’s world famous! I’m not joking. Tourists are brought in by bus loads to see it every Christmas. It’s not enough that you can’t get to any Broadway show without putting in a full workout because Times Square is basically impassable, Brooklyn is on full display now too. Dyker Heights lights used to be just “our neighborhood” attraction, but not anymore. The display has been going on for like forever, since the 80s I think, and it’s still going strong. Most of the decorated houses have their own theme that they continue on through the years, adding new features or different lights, but some like to do a completely new installation every year, so, it gets to be a nice surprise.
Dyker Heights is a small neighborhood on the south-western side of Brooklyn. It’s mostly residential with just a few small shops and local businesses. And, yes, it’s full of hills, and you’ll feel like on a small roller coaster driving up on most of the blocks. But the area is really famous for its houses and insane Christmas decorations. Every year, shortly after the Thanksgiving weekend, ginormous light displays go up and continue on through early January. Luckily, not the all Dyker Heights blocks look insane, and I don’t live on any of them, but it’s within a walking distance, and, yes, we avoid that area like a plague during December. I don’t even decorate anything outside anymore. We don’t have to – those few decorated blocks nearby shine like aurora borealis throughout the whole neighborhood! Plus, you want to make as little fuss with decorations as possible, lest the tourists will think yours is one of “those blocks”.
Still, these light displays are full of memories about my son’s childhood. We used to walk around there every Christmas Eve (it obviously gets dark early in December, so at 5 pm, the lights are already fully on) before having family over for a traditional Italian seafood and pasta dinner. I have so many pictures of my kid on those decorated steps! These lights are full of nostalgia about his childhood days. The display is operational during the whole holiday season, but, on Christmas Eve and Day, there are also Santa Claus and other costumed characters giving out candy to the neighborhood children and taking pictures. You get a good sense of community during these times!
So, I hope you enjoy this little tour of my area and all the magnificent Christmas lights! The video can’t fully show the vastness of some of those installations; Disney really is a mere replica compared to them. Please watch it (with a sound on, it has a nice commentary), you won’t regret it!
