Sunday, December 20, 2009

Christmas Comes to Light in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, NY!


Some of the most extravagant Christmas light displays in Brooklyn, New York are in the Dyker Heights neighborhood. The spectacle draws onlookers from around the world,and there is even a professional tour of the neighborhood each season called the "Christmas Lights and Cannoli" tour! Your can watch a segment of this tour from a news segment on Youtube at this link, It's lots of fun!

The photos I am showing were basically houses around 84th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues. The photo mosaic above is of Lucy's house. She is credited with beginning the trend many years ago because she got her "over the top" love of Christmas decorations from her Mother, and each year would add on more and more lights until almost every inch of the inside and outside of her home was decorated. She is so proud of her home that after Christmas she actually opens her door to allow visitors to peek inside!

Directly across the street from Lucy is this house, and they really go all out with giant decorations!

The toy soldiers are 30 feet tall!

Santa is even larger!


They call their decorative display "Toy Land"



It has giant moving carousels and rocking horses....



....and larger than life size reindeer and elves waving to you from their upper veranda!


Other homes in the area have wonderful displays best seen up close...

...this one had an international theme.

This home had giant candy canes and a lighted snowman. They also had a lovely life size nativity scene but it was not lighted as yet...I took these photos in early December and perhaps it is illuminated closer to Christmas?

It is fun to walk around and see all the lights!

If you look closely you can see a sign under the red tree advertising that this home was professionally lit by a company, as are many of the other homes.


I liked this home's "simplicity" of lighting just the tree in front.

I took some more photos from my car as I drove around, and as you can see there is a great variety of styles of lights and decorations, as well as unique house designs.



Conan O'Brien filmed a remote tv show for Late Night with Conan O'Brien in Dyker Heights in 2000, and PBS televised a documentary called "Dyker Lights" in 2001 which told the story of the neighborhood's annual tradition, so publicity has made this neighborhood a "must see" for many in New York City, and hundreds of cars slowly drive down the block each night. I'm happy to have brought a small portion of it to you all!

Merry Christmas!


I'm linking to Mary at The Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Visit Mary's blog today to see many blog links with wonderful seasonal mosaics.

Bookmark and Share



49 comments:

Anonymous said...

Holy CoW they really go all out! I bet they get a lot of traffic going through to see it all. Must be something in person. ~Jeanne

My name is Riet said...

My goodness all those decorations. I can't believe they do that much. It must take them weeks to put it all up but it sure gives a beautiful sight. I think I like the red lighted tree the best. Sober but colourful. I love your mosaic with all the colourful pictures.
Merry Christmas
Riet

Carol said...

Absolutely fantastic! I love the HUGE ones! Awesome! Has to be some sight in person because they are amazing in your photo's!

Enjoyed this post, lots of fun and festivity!

Merry Christmas!

Kat said...

Wow! Just Wow! This is unbelievable! I can only imagine what this looks like in person. The video was cute, what a fun tour. I can't get over the ferris wheel. And the bakery looks phenomenal! Thanks for posting this Pat, it was really fun. Kathy

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Pat, I have never seen or heard of this display, or even Dyker Heights... All I can say is WOW.... Those homes are marvelous... Guess there is plenty of money in that neighborhood since many of the people pay to have the displays done. That would take all of the fun away for me!!!!! BUT--I've also never had that kind of money!!! ha

Thanks SO SO much for sharing this. I'd love to see it in person someday. It looks tremendous.

Merry Christmas Pat.
Hugs,
Betsy

Unknown said...

Dearest Pat, wonderful and beautiful pictures..really, I wish I could be there. I love this time of the year but I am hardly going anywhere but hibernating at home. So in case I missed you out, here's to a blessed Christmas to you and your beautiful family. I am so happy to have known you in blog land and be friends too. I note about your additional infor on SPAM...it is so annoying isnt it when people send rubbish links on comments and I have been getting lots of them :(
Anyway, back to the fun part...Merry and joyful Christmas and with lots of love and hugs from me...love ya !

Willow said...

Wow! Those creations are amazing! (but I kept thinking, oh, their electric bill is going to be HIGH in January, and where do they store all those giant decorations all year?) It is however truly lovely to look at and enjoy!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

It must be fun to visit but I can't imagine doing all that work and paying the electric bills. My favorites are the simple ones where the tree is outlined in lights. Thanks for sending these photos.

Sandy said...

What a great tour of Christmas Homes! And the photos were excellent. I think yours are better than some of the programs I've seen on TV (like HGTV etc). Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas!

Teacup Lane (Sandy)

steviewren said...

Rachel and I were just watching a Christmas special last night about the way people decorate their homes. They had a whole segment on Dyker Heights. Your pictures are great. My only outdoor lighting is my wreath on the front door. It has a sting of colored and one of white lights in it.

pam said...

WOWZA...I know my favorite is the home with the one amazing tree...that is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing...hope you have a wonderful Christmas week!

~Cheryl said...

All the lights are a favorite of mine -- big, little, and anything else! That tree is lovely. Merry Christmas to you!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Willow the people who live in Dyker Heights can well afford the high electric bills and most hire companies to set up the lights and those companies also store the decorations for them :-)

My neighbirhood is more subdued but stlll colorfully lit..and we do it all ourselves...lol

Stevie was that the documentary "Dyker Lights" that you saw?

GardenOfDaisies said...

What fun!! If they are serving cannoli, it must be an Italian neighborhood! My husband LOVES Cannoli. His grandmother used to make it by wrapping the shells around a broom handle.

Anonymous said...

What a great blog and a great place to visit. The toy soldiers are marvellous. Thank you for sharing.

Have a very happy Christmas! Jackie.

Anonymous said...

The silver lit tree I think is the most fab lighting of a tree that i have ever seen- the tree looks so magical. I had to smile at the other decorations- love all the colours.

Thanks for sharing Pat. I hope you can get out and about more when the weather is better.

Merry Christmas.

RNSANE said...

Pat, that is just fabulous...such big and fancy house and they certainly go all out. There is a little street in South San Francisco that used to really decorate...not fancy houses but with real Christmas spirit. I haven't driven over there in years to see if they still do it but I think I'll look for it tomorrow night. I don't remember the name but I remember the general location. My boys just loved it when they were small.

Gracie said...

I can't even think about how much it must cost, and about all the time you have to spend decorating like this! And I guess I wouldn't like my home look like this either.....talking about when enough is enough!
Gracie at http://mylittleplace.blog.com

Anonymous said...

WOW... I would imagine they have a crew to put them up & take them down. What a job!! So beautiful!!
Merry Merry!!
Marilyn
xxoo

Tara said...

Pat

Was wonering what you have been up to lately--missed ya! What an incredible display and glad you were able to visit your little guy for his happy day! We got 23 inches of snow out here nad NO SCHOOL--those 2 words can warm your heart at any age! Haha!
:0)
Tara

Arlene Delloro said...

It's amazing to me that someone would pay to have their house decorated! The displays really are incredible, though.

Junie Moon said...

I'm pretty positive this was a show I saw on TV once and I loved the whole thing. What fun and such a lot of work to bring this fantastic show to everyone. I'd love to visit and see all this in person, it looks magical.

storyteller said...

What a delightful holiday mosaic this week and wonderful photos of lighted decorations all over. Not many folks around me have decorated outdoors so I really enjoyed seeing these. Thanks for sharing. Happy Mosaic Monday and Merry Christmas to you and yours ;-)
Hugs and blessings,
My Mosaic Monday

Jenny said...

That is just magical. My favorite is that simple white tree outlined in lights. That was so just so gorgeous. Pat, thanks for the lovely Monday morning Christmas tour. I really loved it!

Claudia said...

How delightful! Some look so familiar, I am thinking maybe I saw some of these homes on a TV special .... For the record, I'd go on any tour that offered a cannoli.

Beverly said...

Oh Pat, I am so glad you took your drive so you could share this with us.

These homes look so pretty. I am amazed at the size of that Santa. Wow!

Sea Witch said...

This was a lovely walk down memory lane for me. My dad used to completely outline our home in Jersey in lights. Like Dyker Heights, Lincoln Park would go over the top trying to out do each other. My dad would be stapling down lights from early November on through December. Between the floodlights on the front doors, the topairies and shrubs all decked out and then the lights outlining the house, it was a mantificent display. We would all pile into the car and drive all around the neighborhood to see what others have done and then drive to the top of a neighboring towns hill so we could see our hosue from afar. Such fun our family had with a car packed with kids, the family dog and cookies and hot chocolate. Thanks for this wonderful memory. Sea Witch

Blondie's Journal said...

Stunning photos, decorations and lights!!! The homes are just gorgeous!!

Happy holidays! :-)

xoxo
Janie

Anonymous said...

That is a stunning display of Christmas lights and decorations.
I hope everyone feels the spirit of Christmas in their hearts a well.
Have a wonderful and happy time with your family.
From nurse to nurse,
Merry Christmas,
Gisela.

Anonymous said...

Hi Pat!

I have thought of you a lot over the last few days with all of the snow you guys received! We are "supposed" to get a couple of inches on Christmas Ever...that would be awesome, but that's all I want!

I just read your recent posts! That darling Leo is ONE! It seems just like yesterday he had arrived! My neice lives in Denver. Judging by the great photos you shared, I can see why she loves it so!

OMG...those home in Dyker Heights are out of this world..I LOVE the "Toyland" home! Our home looks so sad in comparison! :)

I hope you have a great Christmas..I just read that you had injured your foot. This is NO time for that, now is it? I haven't finished shopping, but I think it will happen tomorrow!

L, Dana

Sue said...

Holey Moley, those are some Christmas lights and decorations! It must have been spectacular to have seen them, Pat. Your mosaics are great. I need a tutorial... :-(
Christmas hugs to you, Sue

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

They toured this section of Brooklyn on HGTV (or one of those homey channels I watch, lol!) a couple of years ago...I've been meaning to work on getting there to see it myself. Not sure when that will ever happen so I'm happily enjoying your tour. :-)

Just A Girl said...

Hi Pat! Oh how I would love to wander around this neighborhood and look at the lights, but I think the homes would be just as intriguing ;-). I'm with you on the tree with the lights...very simplistic and yet ever so beautiful!!!
I hope you have a great week. Have yo finished your shopping yet?

xoxo cori

eileeninmd said...

Wow, now that is a lot of decorations. The street must glow for miles. I love the shots of the trees all lit up. Very pretty!
Merry Christmas to your and your family.

Kathleen said...

I bet the kids would love that! I'll take the cannoli though..I am more of a light in each window and a wreath on the door, maybe some white lights on the bushes..I can't imagine what their electric bills are! ( I know, bah humbug! :)
We can't get out here, snow emergency still...some roads not cleared yet..
Putting a damper on my shopping for the gifts and food!
Merry Christmas, Pat..and good health in 2010..
Great oics!

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Fantastic...what an awesome sight this must be...thanks for thinking of us...Merry Christmas!!!

Judy said...

What fun to do a 'tour of lights'...they really do go all out. I pulled a 'christmas lighting guide' out of our local paper and hope to go light-seeing one of these nights.

Thanks for sharing!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Wow, Pat! That is the neatest! What amazing decorations. Thank you for sharing this. I think I saw an article about this once, but seeing all of these pictures is just awesome. They really love Christmas, don't they?

XO,

Sheila :-)

Fifi Flowers said...

HOLY COW!!! Those are some BIG decorations!!! FABULOUS!!!
Merry Christmas to you and your family... ENJOY!
Fifi

Edie Marie's Attic said...

WOW! What incredible decorations! I love the Christmas lights and the imaginations you see come to life through them.

Have a VERY Merry Christmas Pat!!

Christmas hugs to you & Vinny!!
Love from Sherry & Chris

PAT said...

Wow! That is incredible. I'll bet the kids old and young love this.

The photos are wonderful!

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Pat. All the best in 2010!

CatHerder said...

THATS AMAZING..i cant even imagine the electric bill

Tracy said...

WOW!! Now those are some seriously impressive light displays! Some really go all out... LOL! But very pretty and festive. Unfortunately due to all the bad weather back home there on the east coast of the States our flight was cancelled on Sunday... Cancelled! I still can't believe it. We've been re-booked to the 23rd Dec. So we're get there just in time for Christmas! Or we hope so... Stopping by while we wait...LOL! Wishing you all the sweetest, Happiest Holidays! :o) ((BIG HUGS))

RoeH said...

BEAUTIFUL!! Nothing feels like Christmas like lights like that. And cold. And believe me, it is cold this morning. I am in California this week. Glad I brought a coat. Brrrrrr......

aliceinparis said...

Oh Pat! What spectacular displays! It must be so much fun to drive around and admire them. It must cost a fortune to run them.
I too love the white tree.
Thanks as always for sharing!!

Vee said...

Wowser! You New Yorkers are amazing!

Melissa Miller said...

~WOW!!!! Pat the photos are magical and so stunning! I'm in awe.

Merry Christmas & Many Blessings!
~Melissa ;)

Carol said...

Amazing! Sure gets you in the holiday spirit! Merry Christmas!

Whatasmartguy said...

I started following your blog beacuse
I feature Eataly on my blog http://whatasmartguy.blogspot.com/
and I thought that you did a real good job . Then I looked at the rest of your site and really like it . In fact today i live in Colts Neck NJ but I literally grew up right where these pictures were taken . Keep up the good work , The Smart Guy