The Long Island man aspires to the Dyker Heights crown with a dazzling, interactive Christmas display
Eat your heart out, Brooklyn!
Long Island’s King of Christmas, Michael Masone, has officially dethroned the mainstays of the “Dyker Lights” who have held court for decades with his elaborate winter wonderland.
“It looks like Rockefeller Center is coming down the block,” Masone proudly told The Post.
But Masone is putting even the Rock Center to shame with its three-acre property that’s being transformed into a dazzling North Pole and interactive amusement park for the holidays — complete with a Christmas-themed roller coaster and ice rink.
On a busy night, lines snake around the block in its normally quiet Nassau County neighborhood, drawing around 500 people into the over-the-top Christmas castle, complete with fiber-optic figures, 1,000 blow molds and endless LED lights – all set against a Christmassy backdrop to tunes that even the biggest Grinch could get excited about would put you in a holiday mood.
Masone tracks the crowds by the number of waivers they sign to skate on his temporary 45×20 foot synthetic “Glice” rink, for which he provides free skates of all sizes – and for the exciting Christmas caboose with Santa Claus on a 55×20 foot rail with four carts carrying 16 little elves newly arrived by cargo ship from overseas.
Masone, a 36-year-old owner of his own bricklaying business, said he took out $10 million in event insurance this year.
On Monday, he’s hosting a block party and fundraiser for St. Jude, complete with Santa riding in his sleigh, fireworks, face painting, a dessert table, and a life-size snow globe for selfies.
He believes the thousands of visitors who flooded his home discovered him through social media – and suspects it’s a magnet for out-of-towners, as he’s spotted various visitors speaking foreign languages.
He won’t discuss the cost – but refuses to accept money from guests.
Masone’s display comes with a roller coaster and an ice rink.
The Long Island man won’t say how much his holiday show is costing him.
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Masone admits his wife isn’t the biggest fan of the court show.
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“I’m not taking a single dollar for anything,” he said, adding, “It’s not their problem that I want to do that.”
For Masone, the goal is simple and the payoff unpredictable.
“We’re giving people something to see that they don’t see anywhere else,” he said, noting that seeing kids wide-eyed at the exhibition is the real reward.
“I’m not patting myself on the back. I don’t compete with anyone but myself,” Masone said.
Well, except maybe Dyker Heights.
“I know Dyker is beautiful – no question about it,” he said. “But this is different. We have the only interactive Christmas exhibit on Long Island.”
One Facebook fan declared, “I think he just won Christmas,” while another summed it up with a verdict, “You’re crazy and I say that in a great way.”
Masone’s wife tolerates the crowds of visitors and her husband’s youthful miracle at Christmas.
“She doesn’t like it,” he admitted – but stressed he won’t bother her the rest of the year.
Except, of course, for his imaginative portrayal of July 4th.
Masone takes inspiration from Michael Jordan and happily describes his perfectionist spirit as an obsession.
“I have to be the absolute best at everything I do — it’s an obsession,” he said.
He is already planning future displays.
“I want live reindeer next year or possibly a Ferris wheel,” he said. “I’m a big kid at heart. Christmas is my holiday.”
https://nypost.com/2022/12/18/long-island-man-goes-for-dyker-heights-crown-with-dazzling-interactive-christmas-display/ The Long Island man aspires to the Dyker Heights crown with a dazzling, interactive Christmas display
