Day 1 - Christmas at Dyker Heights

It is that time of the year again. Christmas trees are being cut down, decorations suddenly appear from cellars and attics, living rooms are decorated with lights, reindeer, nativity scenes, mistletoe and garlands. Christmas shoppers flood the shops, looking for the perfect gift. Christmas movies are shown on about every television channel. My favorite Christmas movie is Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. He is set in New York, obviously during Christmas time. Ever since I first saw the movie, New York during Christmas immediately came on my bucket list. And that is why I board a plane to New York today. That in itself was not a snap decision. It was not a lack of vacation days, budget or anything that led to this lingering, but rather the fear for the weather conditions in the Big Apple, because New York knows extreme temperatures. That means hot and sweltering summers but also freezing winters. Blizzards that paralyze the city and surroundings are not uncommon. And that would mean a damper to the fun. The city lies on the Atlantic Ocean and in the winter there is always a biting cold ocean wind. The wind chill temperature is a lot lower than the actual temperature. Warm clothing and gloves, a scarf and a hat as protection from the wind are indispensable in my luggage. The ocean wind has one advantage: no air pollution. All fine dust immediately disappears from the streets of the city. Good news for asthmatics.

I need all this warm clothing today, because after having dropped off our luggage in our hotel in Brooklyn, we are leaving on an expedition to the south of Brooklyn. My big expedition to the south is not really an expedition. It only takes about half an hour on the subway. The R-line brings us almost directly to Dyker Heights, voted the most beautiful decorated neighborhood in America. Anyone who has ever seen American Christmas movies knows that Americans love 'over the top' decorations. Well, Dyker Heights has no equal. This is the place to be for all fans of lavish Christmas decorations. 

Ho ho ho. Some homeowners in this area (between 11th and 13th Avenue and 83rd and 86th Street, right across from the golf course) hire professional decorators to decorate their homes. The result is a collection of colorful colored lights, Santa Clauses, reindeer, snowmen, wreaths and decorated lanterns and trees. There are thousands and thousands of lights in countless colors. It is absolute kitsch but so kitschy that it becomes beautiful again in a certain way.

And to think that it all started with a cancer patient who wanted to do something special with Christmas. The neighbors also participated .... and this is the result years later. Streets and streets full of Christmas decorations and neighbors that want more lavish displays than their neighbors. And I thought that Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was already going crazy 😀. In any case, I do not want to pay the electricity bill. What a great start to Christmas in New York.