Usually a holiday of chocolates and roses, this Valentine’s Day is also a holiday of lights.
That’s because Brooklyn’s Home for the Holidays, located at 1102 East 72nd Street at the corner of Avenue K, boasted the biggest of its annual Valentine’s Day displays yet.
“The memories you make as a kid, you hold with you forever, so that’s my point of all the decorations I put up for every holiday,” Austin Ferrazzano, 21, the master decorator behind the display, told the Canarsie Courier in an interview. “I try to make memories for the children, for the families and make it something that they can hold on to.”
The display features a nearly four-foot-tall L-O-V-E sign on the house’s front lawn, blow-up candy message hearts and a slew of red, white, pink and purple lights draped over the bushes and hand railings of the house.
The newest addition, though, is a mostly handmade gift basket with various candies spilling out of it. Based off the traditional Easter basket, this decoration includes jumbo message hearts, Hershey kisses, chocolate bars, ring pops and a light-up teddy bear sitting on top. Surrounding the basket are dainty light-up roses and a heart-topped headband anointing the bear’s head.
A Valentine’s Day music playlist also played over speakers as visitors took in the sights. Songs such as Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” and “Love Me Tender” by Elvis were the auditory backdrop for the display.
Part of the reason Ferrazzano creates the displays is because it’s a hobby he inherited from his mother. She always made sure to decorate their home for every holiday while Ferrazzano and his brother where children, which inspired him to keep the tradition surviving and thriving.
“She decorated for every holiday; she never forgot one,” Ferrazzano said. “I grew up with celebrating every holiday and I thought it was just really cool.”
The displays are typically up on the first day of the month and remain on display until the holiday itself. Luckily, if you missed the Valentine’s decorations, there are more displays coming up.
Brooklyn’s Home for the Holidays decorates for all major holidays, including the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day and Easter holidays, and the displays are lit up from about 6 p.m. until around 11 p.m. every night. You can also keep up with Brooklyn’s Home for the Holidays on Instagram and Facebook.
“My house will never go dark as long as I’m living here,” Ferrazzano said.
