You don’t need a tour guide to see Christmas lights.

Let me repeat myself, in case I wasn’t clear.

You don’t need a tour guide to see Christmas lights. What information is a tour guide possibly going to provide? “Christmas lights are a holiday tradition?” “This is an animatronic Mickey Mouse, star of Mickey Mouse’s Christmas Carol.” “Oh, there are some good lights on this street.”

There are good lights on every street in Dyker Heights, or at least that’s how it felt to me. And, I was not particularly picky about which ones I stopped and gandered at. The weather was fucking cold, and I accidentally left my gloves on my desk when I rushed to catch the train from my sister’s home.

And so, let me share my pictures, and my perspective, and a bit of background.

A Dyker Heights Tradition

The neighborhood of Dyker Heights is located fairly deep in Brooklyn, nestled between perhaps better known names like Bay Ridge and Ft. Hamilton. It’s a fairly middle class/upper middle class type of vibe, with lots and lots of single family homes and relatively little in the way of business districts.

(Though there are local businesses, and it would be worthwhile to try to support them rather than the army of fly-by-night hot chocolate serving ice cream trucks.) What’s there seems very Italian, and frankly, you could do much worse than getting a sandwich from Lioni Italian Heroes, the fresh mozzarella is to die for.

The neighborhood has had a long tradition of Christmas displays, dating back to… as far as many long-time families remember. The tradition began like most places in the United States. Christmas decorations are popular. But, I imagine some one-upping and free time led to a minority of homes that have truly ridiculous displays.

A Residential Neighborhood AND A Tourist Trap

The whole thing has since been blown out of proportion. Social media feeds do their best to promote the most extravagant parts of the neighborhood, while actual “tour guides” and tour busses (with very steep fares) do their damndest to suck up tourist revenue while worsening the amount of crowding in the area.

And yes, one of these companies claims Paul McCartney himself gave them a rave review…

(In research for this post, one of the funniest Google Reviews of a Dyker Heights Christmas Lights tour bus operator stated that the Christmas Lights were merely alright, but a stop by the Brookyln Heights promenade was the highlight of the night. The Brooklyn Heights promenade is ridiculously easy to get to, and you do not need to spend $80 per person on a tour bus to get there. Honestly, if you just want some touristy Brooklyn night views, go to DUMBO and consider skipping the lights.)

Walking around the neighborhood is an interesting experience. The place is clearly a quiet, residential neighborhood most of the year. It’s the kind of place people would normally have no business visiting. But, come November/December, and it’s positively booming.

I’ve heard accounts of not so jolly road rage, and certainly witnessed plenty of drivers meander about slowly looking at lights. Most people should be able to get out of the damn car and walk.

And meanwhile, a lot of homes have their sidewalk roped off. And do you know what that says? It says that the fact that someone put in a lot of time, money, and energy to decorate their house wasn’t enough. It says that tourists kept walking towards their front porch, posing for photos, hanging out on lawns.

It shows a tacit disrespect that occurs frequently in over-touristed locales. These are people’s homes, not billboards in Times Square. But, believe me, it does not take long after sunset for the neighborhood to become a place that I found relatively unpleasant to walk around.

I don’t just blame the bitter cold for that.

As a last aside, I saw a few homes with FOR SALE signs. I have to imagine that they do a better job selling houses in the months where the neighborhood isn’t a dreadful tourist trap. But, y’know, maybe there is someone with a deep love of yuletide cheer and foot traffic who would love to contribute to the holiday cheer.

How I Got There And How I Left

The Dyker Heights Christmas Lights are reasonable walk from a few different subway stations. It is not a walk I would want to do on a daily basis as part of a commute, but if your goal is to walk around and see Christmas lights, you could do much worse than tacking on a quick visit to an adjacent neighborhood.

I came down the R Train, and got off in Bay Ridge, where I had some lovely Lebanese food, and got some Yemeni coffee. (As a third wave coffee head, I do wish the Yemeni coffee house had a drink that focused more on the beans’ origin characteristics, but hey, it was a hot bev for a cold night!)

It’s a short walk into Dyker Heights, and it doesn’t take long for the Christmas lights to start up.

I criss-crossed streets, admiring different houses, as well as a distant view of an astonishingly brilliant sunset splaying itself over the iconic Verranzo-Narrows Bridge.

I exited the neighborhood to the East, taking the (much more express) D train north. Potentially, the N train towards the north part of the neighborhood could be used as a third choice.

(For both train lines the Atlantic Avenue station is a fantastic transfer point.)

Conclusion

The Dyker Heights Christmas Lights are both a beloved tradition, and a New York City tourist trap. But, there are some genuinely impressive displays, and some gems. It’s an easy place to visit on the cheap, and it is a great spot for grassroots Christmas cheer.

Just please don’t be ignorant when you go.