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<ul class="summary-list"><li>James Bonavita runs B&amp;R <keyword id="12030580" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christmas" source="Orion">Christmas</keyword> Decorators, a New York-based light installation company.</li><li>He and his team work year-round to prepare and decorate the homes of <keyword id="12759236" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dyker-heights" source="Orion">Dyker Heights</keyword>, <keyword id="12079580" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="brooklyn" source="Orion">Brooklyn</keyword>.</li></ul>There's no such thing as too much in the south Brooklyn neighborhood of Dyker Heights. From November through early January, this quiet community transforms into a festive, glowing wonderland that rivals Disney World. <a href="https://yourbrooklynguide.com/dyker-heights-christmas-lights/">Around 100,000 visitors each year</a> come to marvel at the <keyword id="12452712" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lights" source="Orion">lights</keyword> covering entire front facades of homes, reindeers glowing from rooftops, candy canes lining walkways, and carols blasting from speakers.While some of the area's residents create their own elaborate displays, many call up pros like <a href="https://www.brchristmas.com/">B&amp;R Christmas Decorators</a> to help. B&amp;R is one of the premier Christmas light and decoration installation companies in Brooklyn and a major force behind the famous <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-the-dyker-heights-christmas-lights-2015-12">Dyker Heights light displays</a>.Led by James Bonavita, a local who started the company nearly 30 years ago, B&amp;R creates custom Christmas displays for clients throughout New York City. While Bonavita fell into the business by chance, he said, he happens to have the perfect background for the job — he grew up with an electrician as a father before attending art school.When he's not running B&amp;R, he works with children as an art therapist. His combination of artistic vision and an understanding of lighting systems has allowed him to create elaborate installations that feature life-size nutcrackers, blow-up Santas, twinkling wreaths and creches, animated reindeer, and, of course, an excess of lights.<h2>Stumbling into a booming business </h2>Bonavita got his start nearly three decades ago when an electrician friend of his father's asked him to come help install some lights on a client's house in Dyker Heights. "I did the one house and someone said, 'Oh, you do lights?' and then I did their house, and that's how I started," he told Insider.<div type="image" title="a Christmas lights display in Dyker Heights Brooklyn" height="1006" width="828" msid="88346235" hostid="261"></div>In 1992, Bonavita officially started his company, and since then business has boomed. B&amp;R is growing its team year over year and has expanded from residential displays to local commercial exteriors and interiors. They also install lightscapes for Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Easter, though Christmas still dominates their sales.Bonavita said he serves clients who have been with him from the beginning as well as more newcomers each year. This season alone, B&amp;R decorated more than 200 locations throughout the city, he said."Used to be that I would go on estimates and see the people and do a sketch and get back to them, get their approval, and do the house," he said. "Now we're getting so big that we have people who email us pictures of what they want and then I or my assistant does the sketches."While Bonavita said that an installation can cost "as much as you want it to be" with takedown service included, he's<a href="https://www.brooklynpaper.com/meet-the-professional-decorators-who-light-up-dyker-lights/"> previously stated that the starting price is $1,000</a>, with decorative materials included that the client can keep for the future.Some displays are so elaborate that a crew of five or so will need two to three days for setup, he said, while others can be done in just a few hours. Over 30 years, Bonavita said he's received many unique requests that he strives to bring to life. This year, for example, he created a design for a house that combined Hanukkah and <keyword id="12635043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christmas-decorations" source="Orion">Christmas decorations</keyword> with a dinosaur theme for kids.<h2>Lighting up Brooklyn requires a year-round effort</h2><div type="image" title="a green lights display on a house in Dyker Heights Brooklyn" height="620" width="827" msid="88346239" hostid="261"></div>Though B&amp;R's season is concentrated, the behind-the-scenes work takes up about 60% of the year. "The building, the getting ready, inventory … everybody thinks it's just a couple of weeks," Bonavita said.This year, an added challenge has been working around <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supply-chain-crisis-when-it-will-be-over-end-2021-11">supply-chain issues</a>. "It's hard because shipping is delayed … I haven't gotten wreaths or garlands yet and everything is up 40% or so," he said. "I'm trying to work with my clients because I don't want them to suffer and pay extra with what's going on."Since the Dyker Heights lights are world-famous, people travel from all over to see them. Tony Muia, founder and CEO of <a href="https://asliceofbrooklyn.com/">A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours</a> and operator of the <a href="https://asliceofbrooklyn.com/bus-tours/christmas-lights-tour/">Original Christmas Lights Tour of Dyker Heights</a>, brings tourists from around the world to experience the Dyker Heights magic. "On any given bus we'll go around to ask where folks are from," Muia said. "We get people from all parts of the United States, from Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the UK, Australia — everywhere." The tour is three and a half hours and costs between $55 and $65 for adults. Since launching in 2006, Muia said he's brought more than 50,000 people to see the lights. "For us growing up in Brooklyn, this was our Rockefeller Center," said Muia, who's from the neighboring area of Bensonhurst.While business has taken off and the area has grown in popularity, Bonavita emphasized the local heart of his operation. "It's a family business," he said. "I've been in the area my whole life."The pandemic may have resulted in less foot traffic in the area last year, but the tradition remains strong. "It's a microcosm of Christmas and the Christmas spirit," Muia said. "It's become one of these go-to things that people want to see."

Meet the family business behind the world-famous Christmas lights in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hannah Crown, a British mom, had just found her dream home in England when her husband lost his job.</li><li>Leaving London for New York City felt like the only option. </li></ul>Two years ago, my partner and I were still living in a one-and-a-half-bedroom basement in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-moved-from-new-york-london-reveals-things-shocked-her-2023-8">London</a>. The lack of space left guests having to tiptoe between a cot and a piano to find a bed in an underground coal hole. Our son, then aged one, had been born after several years of IVF. After having spent so long in the dark, we were all ready to move somewhere bright, clean, and green.Finding the new house felt like turning over a new page. It was a former inn with a magnolia tree set in a paved courtyard. After the viewing, we stomped about in the woods while I dared to entertain thoughts of decorating a proper nursery with windows. We could even host our first multi-generational Christmas, something which had been impossible up until now. The new place would take all our resources, but we were hooked. But this was 2022, and the economy was hitting the skids. Several months after our offer had been accepted, my partner was made redundant. His boss told him about a job opportunity across the pond. "We can't <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/german-vs-american-parenting-differences-school-safety-culture-shock-2024-4">move to New York</a>. We can't do it to the grandparents — and we've just found our dream house," I told him. But for him, the writing was already on the wall. We held on until our mortgage deal expired and then reluctantly let the house go. <h2>Leaving London for New York felt like the only option</h2>After that, I had to admit, grudgingly, that going to New York seemed like the best option. I had been at my job in a magazine for nearly 10 years and was ready for a change. We wanted to create something new with a big move, so why not just go a bit further west than we'd intended? I'd never been Stateside, so we took a reconnaissance trip, mixing opera and jazz with checking out neighborhoods and nurseries. When we got back, there was no longer any decision to make. We had a busy summer getting visas, renovating, and finally renting out our flat in London. I <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-my-high-paying-corporate-job-2023-10">resigned from my job</a>. We said goodbyes to the grandparents, with plans to visit soon. Despite being on a plane with an excitable two-year-old — it was his first transatlantic flight — I felt calmer than I had for the first time in months.<h2>Settling in New York was complicated </h2>When you move to the US from abroad, you typically have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-investor-started-zero-credit-built-portfolio-2023-4">no recognized credit history</a>, which makes it difficult to find an apartment without paying thousands for a third-party guarantor — and this is on top of thousands for a real-estate agent's commission. We tried Craigslist. "Peter" had an amazing array of affordable apartments in New Jersey, but I don't think, after being asked for cash to secure a viewing, any of them were actually his. We eventually moved into a furnished brownstone in Brooklyn with a backyard. With its fireplaces and wooden floors, it was strangely similar to our old flat in London — and no one asked us for a guarantor. We signed a one-year lease.I set about exploring our new neighborhood, finding a nice <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/childcare-daycare-cost-new-york-city-crisis-housing-2023-9">nursery school</a>, and trying to get work done during my son's naps. Trying to buy decent fresh bread for under $10 a loaf became a new challenge. We'd done some research but didn't think hard enough about the cost of living over here. While inflation has fallen, grocery prices have remained high — the recommended monthly food budget for a family of four in the US has risen 27% since 2020, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-budget-groceries-family-four-couples-one-person-inflation-2024-4">USDA</a>. Then I lost some work I'd lined up before we came due to freelance budgets being cut. <h2>After six months in the city, I understand the appeal </h2>On the upside, one thing the Big Apple does really well is fun. By the time <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iconic-holiday-movie-locations-nyc-real-life-photos-2021-12">Christmas</a> arrived, we were ready for some: Santa at Macy's, the Rockettes at Radio City, a Christmas fairyland at Dyker Heights, free boat trips. We've taken the metro up the Hudson and a train to Long Island. With an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/idnyc/benefits/benefits.page">IDNYC card</a> we have been able to visit big museums and zoos for free.I've found that when you know what to look for in this crazy place, you can find amazing opportunities. I miss my a cappella group in London, but I've joined an exciting competitive barbershop chorus, a highlight of which involves singing nerdily in a pub. The rest of the family is also doing well: my son loves his nursery, and my partner is enjoying his first experience working abroad. Slowly, it feels like things are opening up for all of us.This experience has jolted us out of a lot of comfort zones. Despite London having <a target="_blank" href="https://www.numbeo.com/crime/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+Kingdom&amp;city1=London&amp;country2=United+States&amp;city2=New+York%2C+NY">crime levels</a> that surpass New York, homelessness is something I've encountered a lot more in my current day-to-day life. The poverty in New York City is reported to have increased in recent years, bringing the total number of New Yorkers living in poverty to 2 million, according to a report from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/poverty-statistics-new-york-city-most-millionaires-2024-2">Robin Hood</a>, an anti-poverty philanthropy. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. It's also funny, exciting, exhausting, and stimulating in equal measure. I'm grateful for how lucky my family is to be going on this adventure at this time in our lives. I've suggested to my partner that we stay until at least Christmas, as it feels like we've just got our keys to the city. At some point next year, we will go back to the UK and settle down, but in the meantime, I have gained both a (secondhand) breadmaker and the gift of perspective.Got a personal essay about relocating a family that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:akarplus@businessinsider.com">akarplus@businessinsider.com</a>.

I was happy in the UK and dead against moving to New York. When my partner was made redundant, it felt like our only option.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Hollis Johnson</div></div></div>The suburban Brooklyn neighborhood of Dyker Heights is a quiet and friendly area year-round - that is, until the holidays start. That's when the neighborhood is flooded with thousands of Christmas-light peepers anxious to see the area's famed displays. Countless homes in the neighborhood take part, putting up dazzling and awe-inspiring feats of festivity, and likely producing similarly awe-inspiring electric bills.I took a trip to Dyker Heights to see the hyped "Dyker Lights" for myself. Keep scrolling to see some lights that would make <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ar-__ub0rc">Clark Griswold</a> die from envy.

Stunning photos of the Brooklyn neighborhood that puts on the best Christmas-light display in America

<div class="KonaFilter image-container no-rightrail"><div class="image on-image">Hollis Johnson</div></div>The neighborhood that has been said to have the best Christmas lights in America is in rare form this year.The suburban Brooklyn neighborhood of Dyker Heights is a quiet and friendly area year-round - that is, until the holidays start, when the neighborhood is flooded with thousands of Christmas light peepers anxious to see the area's famed displays. Countless homes in the area take part, putting up dazzling and awe-inspiring feats of festivity, and likely producing similarly awe-inspiring electric bills. I took a trip to Dyker Heights to see the hyped "Dyker Lights" for myself. Keep scrolling to see some lights that would make <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ar-__ub0rc">Clark Griswold</a> die from envy.

27 stunning photos of the neighborhood that puts on the best Christmas light display in America

Made Men: A photo tour of the most notorious sites of New York Mafia history - and what they look like now

The countdown to Christmas is on. Whether you celebrate the day or not, you can still spend the month of December enjoying the festive holiday light displays.
We scoured Instagram to find some of the coolest Christmas lights on houses across the country. California seems to really go all out.
This home on Balboa Island near Newport Beach, Calif., is practically blinding.

34th Street in Baltimore, Md., is known as "Christmas Street." We can see why.

This Burbank, Calif. home features a merry-go-round and some recognizable film characters.

This Dallas, Tex. house has more Santas than we care to count.

You don't see too many penguins in Tucson, Ariz., but here's a festive one.

And here are some videos of elaborate holiday light decorations around the country.
These homes in Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, N.Y., put on quite a light show.

Deacon Dave's house in Livermore, Calif., has become a tourist attraction.

You Searched For "dyker heights" and got 6 results

Meet the family business behind the world-famous Christmas lights in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

Emilie Murphy

I was happy in the UK and dead against moving to New York. When my partner was made redundant, it felt like our only option.

Hannah Crown

Stunning photos of the Brooklyn neighborhood that puts on the best Christmas-light display in America

Hollis Johnson

27 stunning photos of the neighborhood that puts on the best Christmas light display in America

Hollis Johnson

Made Men: A photo tour of the most notorious sites of New York Mafia history - and what they look like now

Andrew Lichtenstein

The Most Blinding Christmas Decorations On Instagram

Paige Cooperstein

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