Is your house on fire, Clark?
No, Bethany, those are Christmas lights on a house in New York that’s decorated just like the Griswold’s in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Clark Griswold would raise a moose mug and toast the Orsini family after they turned their property into a recreation of the classic holiday comedy – with 25,000 white lights covering their house, a station wagon topped with an oversized Christmas tree, a rusted RV in the driveway and more than 20 mannequins of characters from the movie. That, of course, includes Clark hanging from the roof and Cousin Eddie in a bathrobe emptying a chemical toilet into the sewer.
“It’s probably the closest thing you’ll find to a replica of Clark’s house,” said homeowner Jason Orsini.
The house at 41 Sheryl Crescent in Smithtown, Long Island held a lighting ceremony for its second-annual “The Griswold Family Experience.” Hundreds attended a free, festivity-filled holiday block party for the occasion – making it the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with…well, you know the rest.
“To see people come out to this event, in the cold, in 30-degree weather, it means we gotta be doing something right for the community,” Orsini said. “People love lighting, people love the Christmas spirit, people love ‘Christmas Vacation.’”
Orsini’s love for the movie began in the early 1990s after he was punished by his father. Confined to his bedroom with a television and VCR but no cable, he began watching a VHS tape of “Christmas Vacation.”
“I kept watching the movie over and over again on repeat,” he said. “I loved it so much that I always wanted that family atmosphere for Christmas every year, and I always vowed that I would have it when I got older. And now, I’m doing it.”
Orsini – a real estate agent who lives with his wife Audrey, their 6-year-old daughter Alessandra and 3-year-old son Luca — began setting up on Oct. 1 after retrieving the décor and vehicles from storage facilities.
He had the front of his colonial-style house blanketed in white lights that brighten up the neighborhood, with the help of Chris Pavlock from CLP Services who taught Orsini everything he knows about exterior illumination.
Neighbors, Orsini said, have not yet complained about it shining through their windows.
“I hope the lights aren’t too bright for them,” he said.
To kick off the fun old-fashion family Christmas, he needed to find a vintage station wagon.
Not to drive the family all the way out here to get one of those stupid ties with the Santa Clauses on it, or to go cut down a tree and strap it to the roof. Just to park it in his driveway, behind a mannequin of Clark with a chainsaw, to make it look like he did.
“You would not believe how hard it was just to get an old-fashioned station wagon,” Orsini said. “Even beat up from the 80s, thousands of dollars. They’re rare, they’re classic, they’re collectibles.”
That there’s an RV.
When he found Cousin Eddie’s rundown home-on-wheels in Queens, the seller happened to be an artist who was able to give it a screen-accurate, rusty paint job. That was just a real nice surprise….just a real nice surprise!
“I hit the jackpot and said, ‘If I’m gonna buy this from you, I want this painted,’” Orsini said. “I went over it step by step, video by video, picture by picture for weeks to get that replicated and painted. Then I had it towed to the house.”
Welcome to our home – what’s left of it.
Similar to the end of the movie, all of the main characters gather on the Orsini’s front lawn. That includes multiple variations of Clark and Eddie, as well as Ellen, Audrey, Russ, Todd, Margo, Mary in her red swimsuit, Uncle Lewis, Aunt Bethany, and Clark’s boss Frank Shirley…with a big ribbon on his head!
“Took me six months to shop around for outfits, wigs, glasses, everything,” Orsini said. “You’re gonna experience every character from the movie that comes alive during this holiday show.”
For the show, he also ordered custom-made 40-foot inflatables of Clark and Cousin Eddie from China. Yes, 40-feet each…
That thing wouldn’t fit in our yard.
Unfortunately, they didn’t. The two inflatables had to be taken down after Orsini and his crew’s four-hour setup because they couldn’t be safely secured. Little full, lotta wind.
“I think I went a little overboard,” said Orsini, calling it a trial-and-error sacrifice. ”They’re like 20-feet wide and 40-feet in the sky. They’re made out of PVC. They’re so big and massive they’re really made for big commercial events where nobody should be around. I couldn’t pull it off this year because I had to think of safety reasons first. But I’ll make it happen one year.”
This year’s block party did include a DJ, a Bounce With The Finest bounce house, petting zoo, singing choir, dance show, photos with Santa and a variety of free snacks.
To maintain order by the decoration display, and prevent visitors from taking pictures on their property at all hours of the night like last season, Orsini said he added a guided tour with a walking path to lead visitors through the yard, which will be open on weekends from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Visitors are asked to bring a toy that will be donated to Stony Brook Children’s Hospital after the holiday season.
“Last year we had 300 toys that we donated the week after Christmas,” Orsini said. “The best memory of my life.”
That, more than bright lights and a rusty RV, is the symbol of the spirit of the Griswold and Orsini family Christmas. Orsini’s main motivation for recreating the Griswold house was to show his children and other families the power of Christmas, community and charity.
“I want them to get in the Christmas spirit, I want them to be in love with Christmas, but I also want them to be in love with community and giving back,” he said.
At the Griswold house, that comes with an increased electric bill, a steady flow of traffic in front of the house and a Clark-like level of holiday commitment from the Orsini family.
“Without my families’ support, I wouldn’t be able to do this,” Orsini said. “My wife is a big Christmas fan, but this is a lot of stress for her. So, I have to give my wife a lot of credit for putting up with this… but she’s gonna probably have me sleeping in the RV.”
