My husband, Braulio, and I had this Florida holiday tradition for years: First we’d meet up in downtown St. Petersburg with our friends Cara and Quincy to watch the Palladium’s free annual performance of Black Nativity.
Then our foursome was off to South St. Pete for a visit to the home at 2719 Oakdale Street South – which we lovingly referred to as the Tacky Christmas House. See for yourself in this video:
Floridians aren't exactly known for being subtle. With approximately a half-million holiday lights, the Oakdale house has been featured everywhere from HGTV to the Today show. It even has its own website.
Over time, the display got bigger – and so did our families, as illustrated by this 2008 photo featuring a very pregnant Cara:
A few years ago, Cara and Quincy moved to Dallas with their two kids. As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas. But when it comes to Christmas lights, Florida’s the one to beat.
Is there an over-the-top light display in your neighborhood? We'd love to see a photo or video as part of our Florida Holidays project. For details, click here.