Dyker Lights outshine Thanksgiving
BY ELISSA ESHER
It’s Christmas time — in
November!
Dyker Heights residents
like to ring in the holiday spirit
earlier than the traditional
post-Thanksgiving start date
— with some homeowners decorating
their houses as early
as Nov. 1, according to one decorator.
“We usually start at the
beginning of November, right
after Halloween,” said Nando
DiMeglio who runs DiMeglio
Decorations, a company
that decorates Dyker Heights
houses. “Usually, after people
eat turkey, they want the
Christmas lights to come on.
So we have to get all the lights
up for all our customers before
that day.”
More than twenty-fi ve
homes have already begun
preparing for the renowned
Dyker Heights holiday lights
display, ushering in the neighborhood’s
favorite season
nearly two months early. According
to residents, the early
start date is a neighborhood
tradition.
“We always start decorating
at this time of year,” said
Dyker Heights resident Lucille
Carletta, “Everyone does it. I
love Thanksgiving as much as
anybody, but this time of year
I keep all my Thanksgiving
decorations inside and it’s all
Christmas outside.”
Carletta said that she decorates
in early November to beat
December’s icy conditions.
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“It’s too cold to get out and
decorate in December,” she
said. “This way I can have fun
with it and not be freezing.”
Other locals claim that they
decorate early to impress their
neighbors. According to local
Moona Elfares, her family
takes pride in being the fi rst
on their street to beautify their
home, and the decorations
have become a kind of competition
among neighborhood children.
“Ever since my husband put
out our decorations last week,
my kids have been bragging,”
Elfares said. “In this area,
it’s no big deal to decorate for
Christmas so early. The only
thing I’ve heard from neighbors
is that they love it. They
know how much our kids love
it and they know it’s important
for the bigger houses to get a
head start.”
However, some Thanksgiving
purists have their doubts
about the premature Christmas
celebration, arguing that
residents should slow their
roll.
“The decorations look nice,
but it’s just too early,” said
Jaime Rodriguez, a Dyker
Heights resident. “People always
forget about Thanksgiving
here. They jump from Halloween
right to Christmas.
They should take one holiday
at a time.”
Local decorators say they
strike a compromise by not
turning on their Christmas
lights until Thanksgiving
passes. And according to Di-
Megglio, the professional decorator,
the early start is simply a
matter of necessity.
“We have way too many clients
here to start decorations
any later than the day after
Halloween,” DiMeglio said.
“If you don’t like it, don’t look
at it!”
Residents may setup their light displays before Thanksgiving, but they wait until after Turkey Day to fl ip the
switch. Photo by Stefano Giovannini
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