Dyker Heights Christmas lights return in time-honored and beloved holiday season tradition

Dyker Heights’ Christmas lights are once again on display for New York City to see.

New photos taken by DailyMail.com photographers show what can only be considered as one of the most festive areas in New York, as dozens of homes are adorned with Santas, nativity scenes, and thousands of Christmas lights. 

More than 100,000 people visit the holiday display found in the Brooklyn neighborhood each year, according to some estimates, with tourists and locals alike looking to get into the holiday spirit… or snap the perfect holiday pic!

Video shows houses up and down Dyker Heights‘ streets dressed with lights of every color while visitors bustle through the crowds to get the best angle of the various displays. 

The streets are busy at this time of year as thousands flock to the small neighborhood to take in the lights and displays 

Visitors stop for pictures in front of a ‘lit’ house along one Brooklyn street 

One home, which looks oddly similar to the McCallister residence from ‘Home Alone,’ has a nutcracker standing guard at the door

This Dyker Heights resident did not let their ‘Grinch’ neighbors steal the fun when it came to decorating for the holiday season

One family who spoke with PIX11 said they were in the neighborhood visiting a relative and suddenly felt inspired to see the holiday decorations. 

‘The lights are really cool, and there are so many, and there are bubbles everywhere,’ Emily Casamento, 10, said. 

The family told the local television station they couldn’t stop ‘ooing and aahing’ at the colorful-displays as they moved through the neighborhood. 

When asked what her favorite part was, 11-year-old Juliet Casamento said: ‘All the decorations and moving blowups.’

The neighborhood, which has been creating the wide-scale spectacle for more than two decades, has certainly earned its place on the list of the most iconic spots to visit while in New York at Christmas time.

The tradition started back in 1986 with a single home owned by Angelo and Lucy Spata.

One child looks on in amazement while checking out a Grinch-y display in the Brooklyn residential area 

This home comes equipped with its own throne for Santa and hundreds of nutcrackers, angels, snowmen, and Santa figurines

A police officer guides traffic just outside of one home which displays at least five inflatable decorations as a food truck sits on the corner to accommodate hungry visitors 

‘It began as a tradition with my mother, so I honor her memory with the decorations,’ Lucy Spata told PIX11 News. ‘And then my husband passed three years ago, and he always keeps doing this.’

Once darkness descends in December, there are tour buses packed with out-of-towners, food trucks on many corners, and traffic-clogged streets filled with pedestrians and litter.

The Dyker Height spectacle has also seen its fair share of controversy and pushback, however. 

‘When it was featured on Conan O’Brien, it blew up into something no one expected,’ Larry, a Dyker Heights homeowner said. 

It will be a ‘green Christmas’ for this homeowner who went with a mostly monochromatic scheme for their home

Some estimates indicate that 100,000 people visit the Brooklyn neighborhood each Christmas 

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Some visitors decide they don’t even need to leave their car to truly take in the lights and sounds of the streets 

One delighted spectator takes a picture of one of the stunning light displays on a house in Dyker Heights at the end of November

The abominable snowman from ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ stands outside this property which also features at least three different colors of Christmas lights 

It’s been an ongoing struggle for those who hate it and wish it to end.  

Back in 2017, residents who took part in the holiday display were put on blast over the ‘eye sore’ it caused for those who do not participate. 

‘This is a residential neighborhood – not Times Square!’ said Vella-Marrone, who worked with the Dyker Heights Civic Association.

One resident even described what many see as a cute holiday event as an ‘out of control block party.’ 

On top of the lights and visitors, food trucks are often parked on long stretches of the streets as a sign of just how massive the event has become. 

Some visitors travel all the way from Japan to take in the street, as well as other major NYC displays. 

Other homes in the neighborhood keep is simple with classic candy-cane colors like white and red 

The masses come to the small Brooklyn neighborhood to get the perfect picture and video during the Christmas season

While some homes decide not to partake in the tradition, others go all in on lights, blow-ups, and figurines 

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But where’s Rudolph? Santa is guided by reindeer in one lawn display

Despite the negativity, the show must go on for those who do decide to go all out for the crowds. 

One member of the Temperino family who spoke with PIX11 said they don’t mind the visitors, as it’s a way to unite the community and her own family. Adrienne said her father spends at least two days each year setting up. 

‘People are getting out and connecting,’ Temperino said. ‘It’s all about the joy and magic of Christmas.’