Brooklyn Wonderland.
Ask anyone about holidays in NYC and the first thing they will think of is the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Did you know, however, that every year Dyker Heights becomes an incandescent, Christmas fantasy? There are houses with wintry silver and classic golden lights. Some look like they are straight out of a fairy tale, peppermint candy land. There are even Hanukkah themed houses. Let’s sleigh into the history of this Brooklyn wonderland.
How the Brooklyn Wonderland began.
Legend has it that the Dyker Heights Christmas lights began in 1986 with the Brooklynite Lucy Spata. To honor her mother who passed away, Spata put up 40 light-up angels on her lawn. Ever since then she has been adding to her collection. Her house is annually lit from Thanksgiving through January 6, which is the Epiphany, a holy day for Catholics. Neighbors initially were annoyed by her display, to which Spata nonchalantly told them to move.
Spata’s house can be found at 1152 84th Street. Whether her neighbor’s moved or accepted her displays, it’s evident that Spata won because practically every house in Dyker Heights now competes to outdo the others in festive, neon glory.
The Dyker Heights lights are World-renowned.
It makes sense that Dyker Heights becomes the Brooklyn wonderland every Christmas season. It’s a ritzy area with extravagant mansions, which provide a grand canvas for Christmas decorators. Dyker Heights is the largest collection of private home holiday displays in the entire United States. The gaudy Christmas lights have been a point of focus on national t.v. A Spike TV commercial for a holiday Star Wars marathon featured a house with a life-size nativity. Said house is since known as the Star Wars house. Late Night with Conan O’Brien talked about them in 2000. PBS aired a special called “Dyker Lights” in 2001. The lights have now been featured in countless articles and news reports.
Tour buses take people from all over the country to see the glitziest houses. A Slice of Brooklyn does a tour devoted to the Dyker Heights lights. Lucy Spata’s house is obviously the most famous, but there are entire blocks as bright as the Vegas Strip. The heart of the Brooklyn wonderland is 12th Avenue between 82nd and 85th streets, along with 84th Street between 10th and 13th avenues.
What goes into Brooklyn’s wonderland.
Dyker Heights decorators can begin the process as early as August. Many of these houses rely on professional decorating companies, B&R Christmas Decorators, being a major one. Some of the houses feature involved elements that need to be in sync with each other such as music, animatronics, and timed light shows. Homeowners can spend anywhere from a few thousand dollars to upwards of $30,000 to decorate and light their homes each season. The price is clearly based on how many lights and if there are motorized decorations.
As you ramble you will see decorations of some familiar, adorable holiday characters. Of course you will find good, old Saint Nick, along with Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, and the Grinch, as well as nativity scenes.
Some Dyker Heights favorites.
One of the most famous displays is the Polizzotto house. Across the street from Lucy Spata’s house, the Polizzotto house at 1145 84th Street features a Toy Land theme. It features a two-story Santa and a moving carousel, along with the expected outrageous display of lights. Another dazzling house is the “Blue Christmas House”. It is said that the owner is an Italian-American who married a Jewish woman, so they do their holiday lights with a blue theme for Hanukkah. This next house might just take Noel neon to a level that no other Dyker Heights house has yet. Sam the Greek’s house has more than 295,000 lights.
The Continuing tradition of Brooklyn Wonderland.
The holiday lights of Dyker Heights have brought magical memories for generations now. No other place in the city or America does Christmas like Dyker Heights. For many living in the surrounding area, a tradition was to see the lights and then get some grub and hot chocolate at the Vegas diner. The Vegas diner is no longer, but it’s good to know some things live on. Go catch some holiday cheer before the first week of January is done!
As always I, and the team at Brooklynites, thank you for reading these last two years. We wish our dear readers happy holidays and a prosperous new year! <3
Read our article on the closing of the Rubin Museum:
https://brooklynites.nyc/letting-go-of-the-rubin/
Read about Brooklyn pizza:
https://brooklynites.nyc/brooklyn-style-pizza/
Read about bars in Brooklyn:
https://brooklynites.nyc/tipsy-in-brooklyn/
Read about Dyker Heights, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and PBS:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyker_Heights,_Brooklyn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Night_with_Conan_O%27Brien
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