IT’S a battle of community spirit vs. holiday spirit, peace on earth vs. disturbing the peace. And it’s got people in The Bronx feeling very uncheery.
Today, members of the Garabedian family, as they’ve done every Thanksgiving for 25 years, will set up an elaborate, well-lit Nativity scene, with dozens of handmade, movable mannequins, on the front lawn of their Pelham Parkway North home in The Bronx.
The display so easily outshines the bland Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, thousands of giddy kids and their parents from the tristate area descend into the quiet and well-kept neighborhood.
The throngs create rubbernecking traffic, piles of litter and blocked driveways.
I contribute to this mayhem because my daughter, Noelani, 6, can’t imagine the holiday season without a visit to the “Christmas House.”
I’ve been among the guilty who have blocked driveways because parking is scarce. I’ve discarded a half-dozen cigarettes from my frozen fingertips because my daughter refuses to leave, although it’s 10 degrees outside.
For years, some nearby residents have complained, but there is nothing they could do because the display — with thousands of lights and recorded music — is on private property.
Recently, “no parking” signs were erected along the south side of the street, which runs along a stretch of Pelham Bay Park. Visitors will now either risk a ticket by parking illegally, or seek a spot along the side streets where many of the complaining residents live.
The Garabedians are fuming — they see the new signs as a subtle threat by Pelham Gardens’ Community Board 11 and the city to stifle their ever-growing display.
“I pay my taxes,” said Nelly Garabedian, 76, a former Christian Dior dress designer who outfits the mannequins and Disney characters in tuxedos and fancy evening gowns. “I don’t want anyone bothering me, because this is my garden. I see little kids smiling and jumping. It makes them so happy.
“I set up this display for the people,” said Nelly, who says she spent three months in a German prison camp during World War II and has survived five heart surgeries.
Her husband, Eugene, 67, who has survived four bypass operations, chimes in: “This city should be proud that people come to The Bronx to see this, like they’d go to see Rockefeller Center.”
The music and lights are shut off at 11 p.m. But the headache, from today through Jan. 6, takes its toll on residents — who can’t help getting annoyed when visiting, gift-toting relatives can’t even find a nearby parking spot.
Gene Tutora, president of the local Chester Civic Improvement Association, asks: “What’s going to happen in case of a fire or any kind of emergency, and the vehicles can’t get up the block?”
Cars sometimes double and triple park along the narrow street, and Tutora says he’s witnessed several accidents and parking-related fist fights.
He agrees the display is beautiful, but insists the “no parking” signs were requested four years ago to keep summer barbecuers and sports enthusiasts from trampling on the park lawn and leaving garbage behind.
But neighbor Vincent Bursco, 54, said, “I love those people. I don’t care what they do once a year. They do it for a good cause, and the community should be glad.”
Visitors donate money by tossing it over or through a fence. The electricity bill, for the 45 days the house is lit, amounts to about $2,000. And the remaining money, usually about $3,000, is given to charity.
In a few weeks, I will make a mandatory visit to the “Christmas House” and relish the excitement it brings to Noelani and her 2-year-old sister, Emma, who is now old enough to appreciate the masterpiece.
I will park legally. Stay as briefly as fatherly possible. Stamp my cigarette out under my boot and put it in a plastic bag.
And I will be thankful I don’t live next to something so alluring to New Yorkers looking for a little holiday light.