This L.A. Homeowner Recreates the Extreme Display From 'Christmas Vacation' Every Year
Every year, Los Angeles resident Jeff Norton tricks out the front yard and exterior of his La Mirada home in a fantastic sea of lights as a tribute to one of his favorite films—the 1989 cult classic, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
To even more accurately resemble the iconic Lampoon house, he built a faux second story, mounting a fake facade atop his roof.
City officials, however, were not impressed: When they caught wind of the Griswold-inspired new build, they ordered Norton to take it down.
Every year, Los Angeles resident Jeff Norton tricks out the front yard and exterior of his La Mirada home in a fantastic sea of lights as a tribute to one of his favorite films—the 1989 cult classic, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. "As a kid, we loved this movie. We really gravitated with it as a family, and it just kind of grew on us,” Norton told ABC 13. “Then I had that fantasy to really build into it and got out one day and started putting lights on the house, and one thing led to another.”
For the fourth iteration of the annual tradition, Norton, who has won the city’s Holiday Home Decorating Program contest in the past, decided to level up—literally. To even more accurately resemble the iconic Lampoon house, he built a faux second story, mounting a fake facade atop his roof. This year's showcase is extra special, since it's also meant to honor Norton's father and sister, both of whom recently passed away.
City officials, however, were not impressed: When they caught wind of the Griswold-inspired new build, they ordered Norton to take it down. “The city is concerned the unpermitted second-story structure could potentially cause unintended injuries or property damage to members of the public if it were to become detached from the roof,” L.A. city manager Jeff Boynton reportedly told Inside Edition in an email, going on to clarify that there were “no concerns with the other holiday decorations.”
The city has given Norton through December 19 to remove the makeshift addition. But despite being threatened with a hefty fine (starting at $100 per week), the diehard Lampoon fan refuses to budge: He claims that he’s willing to pay any amount levied against him for keeping up the display through New Year’s Day.
“I will more than happily pay the fine. I’ll do that to keep this up for the whole entire community,” he said in the ABC 13 report. “I’m not going to take this down—no ifs, ands, or buts!”
Clark Griswold would be proud.
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