'Christmas Vacation'-inspired display twinkles in Smithtown
Cue the Hallelujah chorus as the Christmas lights turn on at Jason Orsini's house in Smithtown. Rows upon rows of twinkling lights dart across the entire exterior, covering just about every inch.
Meanwhile on the lawn below, an homage to Orsini's favorite holiday flick: "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." The 1989 slapstick comedy stars Chevy Chase as a well-meaning dad, trying to create a Christmas to remember for his family.
Twenty mannequins are dressed up as the movie characters. An RV is parked in the driveway, painted to resemble the one Cousin Eddie and his family show up in. The Griswold station wagon is parked on the lawn. All the while, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" plays on a projector.
It took two months for Orsini to bring this vision to life. He bought the RV in Brooklyn, and the station wagon from Connecticut. Each mannequin required 45 minutes of costuming. And it took a village to hang the lights.
"Clark Griswold did 25,000 lights," Orsini said. "I am very proud to say that I think we exceeded 25,000 lights."
Mannequins dressed like the characters reenact scenes from the movie on Orsini's lawn. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Like Griswold, Orsini said he's motivated by the love of his family.
"Once you have kids, your mentality starts changing," said Orsini, whose children are ages 5 and 2. "I've always been obsessed with Christmas, since I was a kid. I remember when I was decorating a few years ago, I never made it a big thing, my daughter looked out the window and said she loved the lights. So I kept growing it."
This was Orsini's comfort movie as a kid, watching the VHS tape over and over in his Levittown bedroom.
"I just fell in love with the movie because I fell in love with the whole dynamic of what a family should be like during Christmas," he said. "I thought if I could bring that to my family and the community, then it would make me happy."
Last month, Orsini threw a block party complete with food, performances and a petting zoo, even dressing up as Santa Claus for the occasion. It was also an opportunity for his neighbors to check out the "Christmas Vacation" setup, up close. Between the event and his intricate Christmas display, he estimated that he's spent $20,000 in total.
Orsini estimated he spent $20,000 on the decorations and hosting a block party. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Additionally, Orsini has been collecting toys to donate to Stony Brook Children's Hospital.
"In Smithtown, the houses are spread far apart," he said. "I've always wanted to do something big, for my kids and the community."
At the end of the film, Griswold proudly gazes at his decorated home and says, "I did it." That moment has always resonated with Orsini.
"It's such a good feeling, and I want to give that feeling and that sense of community back to my kids," he said.
Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.
