How a North Miami neighborhood lights display came to be
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A house in the "Enchanted Place" in North Miami. Photo: Martin Vassolo/Axios
Each year as winter approaches, residents of Northeast 137th Terrace receive flyers from a longtime neighbor reminding them to start testing their Christmas lights.
- That's because every December, this North Miami cul-de-sac turns into the "Enchanted Place" — a free neighborhood lights display that has dazzled visitors since 1988.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I visited the block, and we wondered how it all started and who keeps the tradition alive.
- North Miami Commissioner Scott Galvin, who's been living on the street for 15 years, gave me the scoop.
💡 Flashback: Galvin says the tradition started 34 years ago as a friendly competition among three neighbors to see who had the best holiday lights.
- "One year, the group had access to a bucket truck which allowed them to put more lights up … and higher into the trees," Galvin says. "From there, everyone wanted to get in on the act."
🎄 How it works: One of the original organizers, Ken DiGenova, remains a driving force behind the lights display.
- DiGenova, whom Galvin calls the "mayor" of Enchanted Place, reminds his neighbors around October to get their lights ready and decorates the houses of elderly residents who no longer can do it themselves.
- Every homeowner buys their own lights and the whole block chips in to rent a boom lift in order to light the treetops, Galvin says.
- Residents aim to have the lights installed by Dec. 1, and they invite the community to visit their street through Three Kings Day on Jan. 6.
Holiday spirit: If you buy a house on the street, Galvin says, you know what you're getting yourself into.
- That means planning extra time for grocery runs or other errands to account for the constant traffic on the street, especially closer to Christmas. And hearing "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on repeat.
- Homeowners also don't get any help with their electricity bills, which rise along with the number of lights you put up.
What they're saying: Galvin says he moved to Enchanted Place because of the holiday tradition — and the sense of community that makes it possible.
- "We talk to each other all year long," he says. "You don't just know your next door neighbor, but everyone who lives on the street. Such a sense of community is rare these days."