If it's December in Brooklyn, New York, then it must be time to visit the western neighborhoods of Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge, to marvel at numerous homes with over-the-top displays of Christmas lights, inflatables, and various other decorations, including pop culture references (Frozen, the Grinch, Minions) as well as perennial favorites such as Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and nativity scenes. Certainly, many famous stores in Manhattan such as Macy's are regarded for their elaborate holiday window displays; the Bronx Zoo has a special holiday lights tradition; Rockefeller Center has its legendary annual tree, and there are homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs of New York City that feature bright outdoor Christmas and even Hanukkah décor. 

But somehow Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge have become mega-famous for their often outrageous exhibitions, and the media coverage has grown as well. There is good-natured competition, it seems, to be ever more ornate, from late November through the first week of January. This tradition of gaudy 'n bright began in earnest in the mid 1980s and has surged in size and notoriety each year.

Tour buses now trawl the streets of these two neighborhoods, so that growing numbers of tourists can ogle and snap photographs of these houses. Walking tour maps are available online. And besides bus companies, you can find trucks selling snacks (popcorn and ice cream, for example) and trinkets to crowds along the main avenues.

However, there has also been growing controversy and voices of complaint regarding these holiday season lights. Complaints of litter on the streets, intrusive visitors who tromp across people's lawns, and reckless drivers and noisy buses, have soured the celebratory atmosphere. Too many people forget that these homes are not museum pieces, and tensions have risen. The local police precincts have had to beef up the security details throughout these areas.

Each year I enjoy driving over to "the Ridge" and "Dyker" to check out the spectacle. It is fun, but I also wonder how anyone can get to sleep with all the glowing colors, the piped in music, the constant rumble of bus engines and trucks. And I have noticed photo seekers sometimes take too many risks, and bad drivers are making it more dangerous on the streets.

As much fun as it is to see these houses, to ooh-and-aah over the intricate holiday displays, there seems to be so much emphasis on the social media documentation, the mindset of "pix or it didn't happen" and the need to prove that you were there. The sense of wide-eyed wonder is thinner in Dyker, and the attitude of "let me selfie" has grown stronger. Yes, take pictures and post them-- but also actually see the houses with their skiing Santas, their dolled-out reindeer, their multi-colored strings of baubles. There is creativity and joyfulness. There is the desire to bring light to the shortest days. Look. Ponder. Experience. Enjoy.