When most people think of Christmas lights in New York their minds go immediately to the tree at Rockefeller Center and the shop windows on Fifth Avenue. But deep within Brooklyn, there’s a winter wonderland that requires so much wattage you’d think the Griswolds took over the streets. Christmas completely consumes the residential Dyker Heights neighborhood in southwest Brooklyn from Thanksgiving until January, where massive front yard displays (yes, some New Yorkers have real yards!) range from specific themes—like illuminated Christmas toys or millions of icy blue lights—to a hodgepodge of all things Christmas.
Christmas lights are to Christmas what pumpkins are to Halloween or hearts are to Valentine’s Day: absolutely essential decor that helps create an air of festivity. Whether you’re the type that hangs up a simple string of lights or an enthusiast who maxes out your electricity voltage Clark Griswold-style, we can all stop and appreciate a really well-done Christmas light display.
Across the county, families bundle up for drives through stunning local light shows every year. And while most towns have one, there are only a few that really knock it out of the park and create awe-inspiring, illuminated worlds that will reignite your childlike wonder.
From brilliantly lit neighborhoods to charming towns that create dazzling journeys, these ultimate Christmas light extravaganzas will ignite the holiday spirit within even the grinchiest of grinches.
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