Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, is one place where you can have a very bright Christmas! Keeping up with the proverbial Joneses never required more electricity than it does in this Christmas lights wonderland. Subtlety is not rewarded here. Many of the houses go far beyond lights, with giant Nutcrackers, inflatable Santa Clauses and Nativity Scenes. Most of these displays are professionally done, with the decorator’s sign to prove it. This dedication to Christmas was even captured in a PBS documentary, “Dyker Lights”.

The decked-out houses are especially concentrated between 83—86 Streets and 11—13 Avenues, although we did spot some good ones just outside this area. We drove,  and it was a surprisingly easy drive from Manhattan. If you don’t have a car and want a very extensive tour that takes you to other neighborhoods too, check out this three-and-half hour Christmas Lights and Cannoli Tour that covers the best that Brooklyn has to offer.

I’m a big believer that travel means exploration and discovery and it’s something that can be done close to home as well as thousands of miles away. So when I was compiling the list of the Best Christmas Light Around the World in 2012, I knew that I wanted to explore the over-the-top decorations in Dyker Heights. It lived up to the hype! I only wish that I hadn’t gone on such a cold, windy evening so I could have spent more time outside the car snapping photos.

Visiting Dyker Heights (with a stop for a cannoli at Mona Lisa Bakery in an homage to the neighborhood’s Italian-American heritage) is going to become another family tradition for us, along with the Holiday Train Show at New York Botanical Gardens and the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.