In Brooklyn, the famous Dycker Heights Christmas light decorations are back. For a great alternative to the long lines of Manhattan’s department store window decorations, head over to South Brooklyn for a great annual tradition.
Dyker Heights dates back to 1895; a man named Walter Johnson developed a strip of mansions on a hill in the current neighborhood. About half of these 150 mansions have been restored and still remain. The site of this row of mansions, along 11th avenue from 79th to 86th street is part of the center of the Christmas lights displays, with others extending to 9th and 12th avenues.
However, these displays are much more legitimate than the typical Christmas lights adorning outside houses- most residents who partake in this actually hire professional Christmas decorators to help put up the lights and heavy decor items. Some individual homes spend as much as $20,000 to do this. In addition, you can even take a tour of the Dyker Heights decor, and visitors from around the world come to see them.
According to the Daily Mail, the tradition started in the 1980s when Dyker Heights resident Lucy Spata moved there and wanted to change her home’s depressing look during the winter. The neighbors then joined in, establishing a fun festivity that truly livens up the town for the holidays.
