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Smithtown

The real Clark Griswold: Man turns lawn into 'Christmas Vacation' set

2024-12-19

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Who could forget Clark Griswold's short-lived glee when his Christmas lights turned on, brightening up the neighborhood?

A homeowner on Long Island is channeling that enthusiasm and paying tribute to the classic movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

He says he hopes his re-creation in Smithtown, on New York's Long Island, brings joy to others this holiday season.

A walk up to the Orsini family home in Smithtown and the nostalgia rings louder than the Christmas music.

Homeowner Jason Orsini isn't just obsessed with Clark Griswold, he may actually be Clark Griswold.

"Until my kids come out and say, 'Daddy I don't want it anymore..that's when I'll stop," Orsini said.

"I fell off a roof. I broke a toe. I got sick. I kept going on," Orsini said.

Because after all - it's just not easy stringing 25,000 twinkling lights.

Orsini creates a very realistic mock-up of the movie, right down to a dummy Clark Griswold dangling and yelling for dear life from the roof's edge after a light-installation mishap.

"They were gonna call the Smithtown Fire Department if I wasn't outside because they thought someone was falling from the roof," Orsini said.

Orsini said his extravagant display is more than just a display.

It's an experience with 20 different mannequins including Cousin Eddie of course.

The attention to detail is extraordinary, down to the exact license plate on the Griswold's family station wagon.

"You can't have a 'Christmas Vacation' movie theme and display without cousin Eddie's R.V."

But somehow just like Clark in the movies, it all comes together for Orsini. Hundreds are now showing up.

Orsini is simply asking people to bring toys, which in true Griswold spirit he's been donating to Stony Brook Children's Hospital, all because of a movie he happened to watch over and over when he was grounded as a kid.

"It emotionally made me a better person and more spirited for Christmas," Orsini said.

To check it out for yourself, head to 41 Sheryl Crescent in Smithtown.

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