ILLUSTRATION
KYLE T. WEBSTER
WHENMOSTPEOPLEDECIDE
togoa littleover the
topwith theirholidaydecorations, theymightspring
for the lights thatplayChristmascarolsor— if they’re
feelingreallycrazy—getoneof thosesnowmenyou
inflatewitha leafblower.
Then there’sLucySpata, aNewYorkerwhose
approach to festiveornamentationwouldmake
Liberace’s interiordecoratorseemweak.
Spatabrings ingiantnutcrackerstatuesbycon-
structioncrane.Shebuysglowingangelfigurinesby
the truckload.Andshehirescostume-wearingactors
so thateverypedestrianwalkingbyher frontyard
getsmobbedbyFrosty,ElmoandSantaClaus.
Her tendency toward industrial-gradecheer
began toescalate in the late1980s. “Theydidn’t like
it,”Spatasaysofherneighbors inDykerHeights, an
upscaleresidentialneighborhood inBrooklyn.Maybe
itwas the traffic,whichstarted topileupoutside
herhouse,or theIndependenceDay-caliberwattage
glaring fromhercornerof theblock.
Foreverycomplaint,Spata threwona few thou-
sandmorebulbs. “Themore theydid, themoreIdid,”
shesaysof theScrooges inherneighborhood, adding
that theyweren’twithoutoptions: “Move!Orgoon
vacation.”
Whatdidyouwant fromaNewYorkCityholiday
column?Sweetnessandkisses?Upyours.
Thesedays, youhave twooptions ifyouwant to
mainline theholidayspirit inNewYork.Youcanel-
bowyourway through theherdatRockefellerCenter
to layeyesuponagiantChristmas treewithmore
corporatesponsors thanaNASCARdriver.Oryoucan
dowhatNewYorkers in theknow (andan increasing
numberof tourists)doeveryyear:Goout toDyker
HeightsandseewhatLucywrought.
According to lore, itwasSpata’sneighboracross
thestreet—whohappened tobeherattorney—who
firstacceded tohernucleardecoratingstyle,plaster-
inghisownpropertywith27-foot-tallarm-waving
woodensoldiers, amerry-go-round, life-sizereindeer
andpeople inBarneyandMickeyMousecostumes.
Mosteveryneighbor is inon theactnow, the-
maticallycurating theirownhomesandannually
transforming theonce-staid ’burb into
asurreal spectacleofblinding lights,
humongousfigurinesandelectricity
billswhichunfurl likeancientscrolls.
If the tourbuses thatnow trawl the
neighborhooddon’tstopatyourhouse,
you failedYuletide,bro.
Thishasbeena long timecoming
forSpata, theownerof Italiansausage
stands,whogrewupadmiring the trees
and tinsel ineveryapartmentwindow
ofhernativeMulberryStreet, theheartofManhat-
tan’sLittleItaly.Shedecorates inhomage toher late
mother,Fay, fromwhomshe inherited theClark
Griswold-ianquest tomakeherhomevisible from
Neptune.
“Itcouldbezerodegrees inDecemberandyou
don’t feel it,”Spatasaysof theworkrequiredeach
year. “There’s toomuchhustleandbustle.”
Tosay the least.Thebumper-to-bumperholiday
traffic inherneighborhoodmeansresidentsshould
allotanextra45minutes topull into theirdriveways.
“They’reused to it,”Spataassuresme. “It’sonly the
grumpypeoplewhodon’t like it.”
THELASTWORD
146
DECEMBER2015
AMERICANWAY
TheQueenofDykerHeights
Moveover,Scrooge—oneNewYorker isdetermined to
bringholidaycheer tohercommunity
“They’reusedto
it. It’sonlythe
grumpypeople
whodon’t like it.”
BY
JOEMURRAY
