Viral Preston Hollow Mansion Dons Grinch-Themed Decor Before Thanksgiving
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The age-old debate over whether Christmas decorations should go up before or after Thanksgiving might be settled in Preston Hollow after the mansion that’s gone viral for its extravagant holiday displays showcased its new getup earlier this month.
Read what you will into the choice of theme this year, but the house has been decked out with Grinch inflatables, and there’s a sign counting down the days until Christmas. There are also some no-parking zones being enforced in anticipation of a season-long flood of visitors wanting to check out the display.
Last year, the 9,000-square-foot property in the 6200 block of Deloache Avenue became a sensation for its head-to-toe twinkling lights and Christmas decor-studded front yard. The homeowners went all out for Halloween, too. The displays drew thousands of onlookers to the otherwise peaceful upscale neighborhood.
Despite the good-natured pretensions, some Preston Hollow residents found the holiday cheer excessive, complaining about light pollution and gridlock traffic in the residential area. Some are even warning of potentially serious public safety issues, like emergency services access in and around the block.
No doubt the home has become a significant attraction, with some $25,000 in additional police resources having to be deployed there to oversee traffic last holiday season.
In response to the complaints, city staff have been working to devise new code compliance rules that could mitigate some of the purported nuisances caused by the elaborate holiday displays as well as other properties around town that happen to spur a lot of complaints related to noise, parking, lighting, and traffic congestion. A concrete proposal has yet to be put to the full city council.
Council Member Gay Donnell Willis (District 13), who represents Preston Hollow and has pushed the reining in of such alleged nuisance properties, told The Dallas Morning News this week that she thought it was “unfortunate that the enjoyment created for some has created the opposite effect for the neighbors who live on this usually quiet street.”
Ryan De Vitis, the homeowner responsible for the elaborate Christmas display, told DMN his displays were started as a way to create holiday memories for his children. But he’s also taking pleasure in the joy onlookers are getting.
“I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m celebrating, enjoying [the holidays] just like everybody else does,” he said.
While the city currently has an enforcement gap of sorts with regard to the home’s decorations, De Vitis has reportedly received multiple notices from the Code Compliance Department. Still, it hasn’t stopped him from getting a head start on the Christmas season.
Serious neighborhood disagreements aside, De Vitis is apparently of the minority opinion when it comes to putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. According to a Today’s Homeowner survey conducted last year, only 34% of respondents said they deck the halls before Turkey Day.
