Brooklyn's Home for the Holidays dazzles visitors
NEW YORK -- A house located on the corner of Avenue K and East 72nd Street in Georgetown, Brooklyn, has earned a reputation for being the most festive in the neighborhood.
When night falls, the magic happens. One by one, the lights come on and the crowds start coming.
Many of the dazzling displays were crafted by 21-year-old Austin Ferrazzano, who started this tradition as a kid. He does his own electrical work, carpentry, and design. Many of the decorations are vintage, so he finds and restores them to create elaborate animatronic window scenes.
"I'm a Christmas elf, I suppose," Ferrazzano told CBS2. "I've learned, gotten better. And as I have gotten better, so has the display."
Nearly every square foot of the house is glistening and glamorous, and attracts a lot of starry-eyed visitors.
"We go every year to Dyker Heights, but it's also including Hanukkah. It's just absolutely amazing," said Robyn Levy Chorny from Marine Park.
Jennifer McRae, an assistant principal at a Brooklyn school, came with her son and his friend.
"There are animatronics. There are sound tracks. There are things moving and grooving," McRae said.
Neighboring kids come spend their time at the display, but so do people from across the city.
"It really shows you can put effort into something and it actually works," said Ethan Edmonds of Rego Park, Queens.
Ferrazzano and his team are also trying to keep things interactive. They have a scavenger hunt the kids can play, they can mail a letter to Santa, and the family has partnered with Toys for Tots to help give back to the community.
"Other people don't have Christmas or a tree or presents, so this is really nice," said 11-year-old Mubarak Ibrahim, who lives nearby.
With more than a decade of decorating experience under his belt already, one day this elf hopes to open his own business.
"I consider it a hobby now and it will definitely become a career in the future," said Ferrazzano. "You have to love what you do in life."
He's already got his blueprints ready for next year's display. By the way, he decorates for nearly all holidays year-round.
The house, known as Brooklyn's Home for the Holidays, is located at 1102 East 72nd St. The displays will be up through the first week of January.
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