Over-Decking the Halls?
Some neighborhoods take their holiday decorating very seriously. But, some homeowners go a smidge too far. Okay, who are we kidding? Some homeowners border on bulb abuse. Here’s a bunch of holiday decorated houses you could probably see from outer space.
Christmas Canals
Who needs streetlights with a house this bright? This Venice, California, home is shown reflecting its awe-inspiring amount of twinkling lights on the Venice Canals.
Crazy for a Cause
This home in Queens, New York, collects donations from visitors for a local children’s hospital.
Spelling It Out
Nothing says Joyeux Noel quite like splashing it in huge letters across your lawn. This house in New Castle, Delaware, gets the message across with huge, light-up lettering every holiday season.
Shiny Shrubbery
Brightly-bulbed bushes really make this yard display stand out. It lights up a wintry Champaign, Illinois, neighborhood every year with a snowman so big, it’s nearly as tall as the house.
Landscape Lights Meet Holiday Lights
This house is part of an annual Christmas Lights Tour on the Isle of Wight in the UK.
Small Space, Lots of Lights
This house in Fairlie Park, UK, proves that even without a lot of yard space, your lights can still be loud. It’s an area tradition to decorate the homes for the holidays, and collect donations from visitors for charity.
Powered-Up Water Mill
One of the largest water-powered mills still in existence, the Clifton Mill in Ohio is draped in more than 3.5 million Christmas lights annually. The red light strands cover the bank of the mill’s power source, the Little Miami River.
DIY Decor
This is as close as these Dublin, California, homeowners are getting to real snow: homemade light-up snowmen! The house also has a DIY holiday fence made from candy-cane striped mini red arches.
NYC Light Tour
These side-by-side homes in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, New York, are just a few of the neighborhood’s brightly lit abodes. And the bikers out front? Part of a holiday light bike tour through parts of New York City.
Jingle Bell Justice
White lights blanket the Ashdown, Arkansas, courthouse. The building’s architectural features are highlighted this season by some careful light placement.
What House?
Out of all the over-the-top homes on our list, this one just might take the cake. With lights so plentiful you can’t even see the house under it, this home in Ontario donates money from visitors to SickKids, a children’s hospital in Toronto.
Double Trouble
No, you’re not seeing double—it’s just some creative photography. This display in Newfoundland, Canada, is shown here reflecting off the hood of a car.
Madison, WI
The only decorated house on the block, this home makes up for its less dressed neighbors. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the house is packed with thousands of lights to warm up a chilly college town.
Growing Glare
The Maisie family in Alberta, Canada, decorates every year—and the display just keeps getting bigger and bigger. This year’s version of this display has more lights in the yard and on the roof than ever before.
Christmas Fortress
Dominic Luberto’s home in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, causes quite a stir; especially among neighbors who don’t care for this bright holiday display. Luberto’s lights aren’t without fans, though. Local news stations have covered and photographed the place for special holiday coverage. The yard featured everything from traditional snowmen to Winnie-the-Pooh figurines.
Lights for a Cause
Alek Komarnitsky recreates a version of this display every year. All of the figures and flashers are synced to software that allows you to manipulate the Lafayette, Colorado, display via the Web. Why? Through his over-the-top display, Komarnitsky hopes to motivate people to donate to the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research; both of his children have been diagnosed with the condition. Visit komar.org to get in on the fun.
It Takes a Village
This unassuming display is more extreme than it looks; Earl Layton of Houston, Texas, painstakingly built a 3D English village on his lawn! To enter his residence, which stands behind this life-sized facade, guests have to go through the doors of the “Christmas Village Inn” at the center of the display.
Creative Candyland
Not sure if you can tell, but Patricia Farmer in Alexandria, Virginia, has an extensive collection on yard inflatables. Her display includes a giant snow globe, hundreds of candy canes hanging from trees, and a “toy shop” on the front porch.
Can You Count to a Bazillion?
Gary Slater’s decorating tradition began in 1996 and continues to grow each year. The Livonia, Michigan, display—fondly known by neighborhood kids as “the house with a bazillion lights”—includes 32 mini trees, over 40,000 lights, and is synced to holiday music. For more information, visit bazillionlights.com
Gingerboard House
We’re sure that this “gingerbread” house in East Vancouver, Canada, doesn’t taste as good as it looks. The home features faux icing trim, a candy cane walkway, and peppermint candy accents. If these homeowners created a miniature, they might be the ones to beat in the This Old Gingerbread House Contest this year.
Make a Wish
This Rheineck, Switzerland, home creates a striking generic display to accommodate all winter holidays. A star-patterned cap over a massive floodlight covers the exterior with sparklers in a creative way.
Lush Lawn of Lights
Karen and Rob Aperawic in Parlin, New Jersey, cover everything from rooftop to lawn in a blanket of lights. Their display includes a nativity scene, Santa and his reindeer, snowmen, a mini ferris wheel, and more.
Holiday Hijinx
Always on the lookout for the brightest holiday lights, John Gusky happened across this California house, which represents almost any holiday you can think of. The display mishmash includes pumpkins, wreaths, a Star of David, and more.
Infinite Inflatables
Tim Schapker of Albany, New York, took this picture of his uncle’s home in Evansville, Indiana. The house—we promise there’s one under all of those inflatables—features a Rock n’ Roll Santa Claus, a Christmas tree, Elmo, a snowman, carousels, trains, and more.
New York Lights
The Garabedian Family in the Bronx, New York, have a 30-year-long tradition of decorating their holiday home with everything from a life-size nativity scene to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The place features nearly 200 animated figurines, all wearing handmade costumes and programmed to “dance” to festive holiday music. Due to the labor-intensive process of creating the display, many of the figures are left up all year. For more information, visit newyorkchristmashouse.com
Grand Lights for Grandkids
C.D. Wright of Brentwood, Tennessee, looks forward to the job of decorating his home every year. His main motivation? The excitement on his grandkids’ faces when they see it all.