South Philly Christmas

Any trip to Philadelphia during the holiday season should include a visit to South Philly, where they take their decorations very seriously. These first few pictures show various street and house decorations, but scroll down to see the remarkable holiday displays on Smedley and Colorado Streets.  

The 1600 block of south 13th Street (at Morris) is known as the "Miracle on 
South 13th Street." Unfortunately, i was more interested in the experience 
of driving down this magical block than in capturing it digitally, 
but you can visit their Facebook page for more pictures.

Decorated street light poles on Passyunk Avenue
(picture taken from a moving car)

A beacon of holiday light on an otherwise dark street

Rowhouses 

The most elaborate individual home display.
 

One of many streets strung with lights.

The next stop was Colorado and Smedley Streets, between Oregon and Moyamensing Avenues (the 2700 block south). Both of these blocks depart from the usual grid pattern of the streets in Philadelphia, forming cul-de-sac with a central greenspace just perfect for Christmas displays. 

The display on Colorado Street is far more subdued than the one on Smedley, but each is spectacular in its own way.

Colorado Street:

Bay window display: Santa's workshop  

 On both streets, there is a Nativity scene at the north end and Santa at the south.

The amazing thing about the holiday display on Smedley (like that on 13th Street) is the level of participation by the individual homeowners. I noticed only two houses on the block that were not decorated. Like most row house blocks in Philly, all the houses are almost exactly the same in their basic layout, and -- as is also typical -- modifications to that basic design like the picture windows that look out on the street are also quite similar. But the residents display their individual taste and style in how they choose to decorate those windows for the holidays. 

Smedley Street: The Windows

Smedley Street: The Main Event