Thursday, December 23, 2010

Merry Christmas to all, and to all Dyker Lights

Even for the Grinchiest among us, the awesome spectacle of the Dyker Heights Christmas lights and displays in Brooklyn are a surefire holiday pick-me-up. So, as a Christmas gift to you, we offer an early PhotoFriday installment of the Dyker Lights.

No one really knows where the tradition began, but for decades this Brooklyn neighborhood of victorians, twin rowhouses, and 20th Century mini-palazzos is transformed into a winter wonderland of blinking lights and audio-animatronics. In lots of neighborhoods, people are content to hang a wreath or drape the railings with swags of evergreens. The blocks between 10th and 13th avenues and 81st and 85th streets in Dyker Heights take holiday decor to the next level. We're talking about 30' Santas, robotic polar bears, and light shows.

So, to you, dear reader, Happy Holidays from the Preservator. We'll see you in the new year.

84th Street is the heart of the action!

The Preservator has a weakness for light-up toy soldiers.

This house has the most elaborate, enormous, over-the-top displays of all. Too much is never enough.

Hop on the Polar Express!

Even the local fire company gets into the spirit.
All photos by @shrimpcracker