Pottstown Light Displays to Rival Clark W. Griswold

Photo by Evan Brandt

Decorations at this house on Prospect Street are a wonder to behold.

Check any list of classic Christmas movies and you're bound t come across one of my favorites, Christmas Vacation, documenting the misadventures of Clark W. Griswold and family.

A central theme of the film are his over-the-top decorations for the outside of his home.

And although the film is meant to mock the effort, there is something noble about it and something that seems to stir families on to greater and greater measures.

I raise this because I was reminded of the Griswold house on the way home from getting take-out at a local restaurant (doing our bit to support local business and all.)

I have a tendency to take the back streets when driving through Pottstown as much to look around as to avoid the traffic lights along my route. (Yes, I count them).

And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but this house on Prospect Street in Pottstown:

All apologies for the quality of the video and photos. It's night time and I'm just using an iPhone, and a very old one at that, but I think you get the idea. 

It's impressive as much for the effort, as for the electrical engineering it must have taken to power all this stuff without overwhelming the Limerick nuclear plant.

That got me thinking. I bet there are other houses like this. 

And evidently, I'm not the only person thinking these thoughts.

A press release from an interior design company I was all set to ignore in my inbox caught my eye when it mentioned Americans channeling "their inner Clark Griswold."

According to an very unscientific survey of 2,000 people by the company, Modsy, 69 percent of Americans said "they plan to go all out on holiday home decorations this more more than in the past.

That's certainly true in my house, where the outdoor decorations have been stepped up a notch to drive away the noxious stench that has been 2020.

And we're all part of a trend because Modsy's survey found that Pennsylvania is No. 3 in its ranking of states planning to go overboard.

Only Illinois and Texas had higher rankings. 

So as our gyros got a little colder, my wife and I took a spin through some neighborhoods to see what else we could find.

We found a house on Belmont Street that was remarkable not for having 400 inflatables and a link to a Christmas radio station for a soundtrack, as was the case on Prospect, but for the coordination.

The entire color scheme was consistent. I don't know about you, but when I have to replace the few lights we have on our house (sometimes it seems like every year) it's often hard to find those similar to the ones you already have.

I don't know if these folks bought all their lights at the same time, but it works. Have a look:

And as we rushed home in the dwindling hopes that our food might have retained some semblance of warmth, I had to stop one more time.

This whole block of West Fifth Street, between Manatawny and State streets, has some game. I don't know if these folks are in a competition, but they are definitely of a like mind.

Taking advantage of their position on the corner, one house in particular stood out.

In this case, because the side yard is along Manatawny Street, there is lots of extra display area of which they've taken full advantage. 

But most impressive to me, was the inflatable which had the reindeer eating at what I called "the Christmas Trough," and their heads go up and down.

Maybe it's just me, but that's awesome.

So Merry Christmas from Pottstown everybody.

If you know of some displays you think I ought to visit, comment here or send me an email at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com