They don't call it Dyker Lights for nothing

By Meredith Deliso

Do they know it’s Christmas? They do in Dyker Heights.

Year in and year out, thousands flock to the neighborhood to see some of the best holiday decorations in the city, even earning it the nickname “Dyker Lights.”

This year isn’t any different, as the six-block area bounded by 83rd and 86th streets and 11th and 13th avenues is decked out in two-story Santas, 10-foot tall dancers that pirouette to the music of the “Nutcracker Suite,” and 29-foot-tall toy soldiers marching in place.

Our favorites include the Polizzottos (1145 84th St. between 11th and 12th avenues), who have an absolutely gigantic Santa greeting visitors, as well as galloping reindeer and a life-size merry-go-round. Across the street, the Spatas (1152 84th St., above) are not to be missed. The family started the tradition 25 years ago, after all, and has one of the largest displays in the city. This year, it grew by two 15-foot-tall nutcrackers.

The larger-than-life figures have become very popular this year, said Tony Muia, a Bensonhurst native who runs the “Slice of Brooklyn” pizza tours and, more recently, a Dyker Lights tour.

“People are getting really imaginative with their decorations. It’s amazing what people are coming up with,” said Muia. “We didn’t schlep all the way to Rockefeller Center for the lights. We went to see the lights of Dyker Heights. It’s a tradition.”

For info on the “Slice of Brooklyn” Christmas tours, visit www.asliceofbrooklyn.com/christmas.html.