Griswold Christmas house back and as bright as ever in La Mirada
"I dedicate this house to the Griswold family Christmas... Drum roll please!"
While it might not be exactly 250 strands of Italian twinkle lights adorning Jeff Norton's home in La Mirada, thousands of people are expected to stop by and view his ever-famous "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" themed decorations in coming weeks.
Last year, around 30,000 people stopped by to view the award-winning display, an annual tradition for Norton, who takes the time to put together the replica display of the Griswold family home for the holidays.
But in 2021 he faced some backlash from the city of La Mirada as he had added a faux second story to his single-story home so it better matched the film.
They threatened him with fines for setting the display up without a permit, but backed down from the threats when met with community outrage.
This year, he made sure to meet with them ahead of time so that everything could go off without a hitch — quite the opposite of Clark Griswold's many disastrous plans for a fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.
"They were worried about things happening at my house and pretty much we've got all that ironed out," Norton said, noting that as long as the city of La Mirada isn't held liable for any mishaps or issues, they're fine with the festive display.
Synthetic snow machines create the illusion of a winter wonderland as families enjoy the decorations, complete with Cousin Eddie's camper, Uncle Louis on the lawn with the burnt out tree and Clark's boss Frank Shirley — bound and gagged to represent the Griswold family's first kidnapping.
"It's pretty close to accurate. I can't see any differences or anything not the same," said McKenzie Zabel. "It looks amazing."
The display has become so popular that families like the Zabels have begun to make their way across the country to take in the happiest Christmas display since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny Kaye.
