Since its debut in 1974, the Christmas House has added to its collection of holiday decorations and displays.
By Michael Dobuski
The tryptophan of Thanksgiving has worn off. The good cutlery has been stowed away for another year, and extended family members have made the trek back home. That means, as the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade indicated, it is once again officially the holiday season. Though the vast majority, about 62 percent, of the Bronx’s population does not identify with or practice any particular religion, the most prominent faith in the borough is Catholicism, which makes up about 25 percent of residents. So a trip from Lincoln Center back to Rose Hill will not mean an escape from the onslaught of Christmas decorations that has already started to consume the city.
On Christmas Eve in 1973, the Garabedian family experienced a miracle. No one outside of the family knows exactly what happened, though unsurprisingly that has not stopped speculation. Some say one of the family members experienced some sort of vision. Some report that a sick child was inexplicably restored to health, where as others say it was a miracle seen simply in the kindness of a neighbor. Whatever the impetus, the event inspired Nellie and Eugene Garabedian, along with their three children Linda, Elise and Gary, to deck out the entire exterior of their house in lights, sound effects and, strangely, animatronic mannequins dressed up as everyone from Michael Jackson to Santa Claus himself. The spectacle has been on display every Christmas on the corner of Westervelt Avenue and Pelham Parkway since 1974, and has grown in both scope and audience every year. Even Mariah Carey was drawn to what is now known simply as the “Christmas House,” during the filming of the music video for her holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas.” The Garabedians own and run a fabric-trimming business, which is where many of the mannequins, whether it be a smiling Elizabeth Taylor or a waving Cinderella — get their elaborate costumes. Onlookers are wont to throwing money over the fences surrounding the house, as if it is some sort of over-the-top, Christmas-themed wishing well. All the money is collected by the family and donated to their local church.
The extensive amount of electricity that the house draws from the power grid has in the past caused blackouts in other parts of the Bronx. Con Edison now works with the Garabedian family both to keep the tradition alive and to make sure power loss does not occur in other households. Though the family works on the display year round, expanding and introducing new elements every year, the weird but ultimately charming Christmas House is officially on display to the public from Thanksgiving until Jan. 6.
However, not all is merry and bright in the Bronx this year. The Belmont Business Improvement District announced last Friday that its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony had to be cancelled. The event, which is the only outdoor tree lighting in the area, usually takes place in Vincent Ciccarone Playground on Arthur Avenue, next to Tino’s. The reason is twofold. First, it is expensive, as the tree lighting usually runs up a $15,000 bill for the Business Improvement District, with the tree alone costing three to four thousand dollars, not to mention the added cost of shipping. The organization also spends upward of $65,000 on a yearly contract for a security guard hired in July. The guard was hired to dissuade panhandlers in the area, which the city has seen a surge of in recent months. Arthur Avenue was of particular concern to the Business Improvement District due to its popularity among tourists. Plus, as Frank Franz, the organization’s treasurer, released in an official statement, “Fordham University students tend to be, I don’t know, more generous and giving.”
So this holiday season, go see the windows at Macy’s, or go ice skating in Bryant Park. But do not forget that our very own borough has much to offer in the way of Christmas cheer, even if that offering comes in the form of animatronic mannequins and a presumably huge bill from ConEd. And finally, however you celebrate, have a very happy holiday season.