ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Here in Tampa Bay, we don’t get an idyllic, postcard-ready winter wonderland when the holiday season rolls around.
We don’t get icicles that hang glistening from our eaves from Thanksgiving through February. We don’t get snowflakes that stay on our nose and eyelashes. We don’t get outdoor ice skating on a real frozen lake before warming ourselves in front of a roaring fire.
What You Need To Know
- The Oakdale Christmas House has presented an eye-popping display of Christmas lights for 42 years
- The attraction boasts more than half a million lights
- Located in South St. Petersburg, the Christmas House is open nights through January 3
What we get is maybe six days to wear our most stylish jackets and boots, and to pretend we’re freezing when the temperature drops below 67 degrees, and, if we’re really lucky, a stunned iguana—the true symbol of the Florida winter holidays—in the yard.
But we’re a unique and resourceful bunch. We’ve got our own ways to make the end-of-the-year holidays feel special. And one of the best, Tampa Bay-est annual traditions is a short trip to see South St. Pete’s Oakdale Christmas House and its nearly unfathomable display of Yuletide lights and decorations.
Located at 2719 Oakdale Street South at the edge of the ‘Burg’s eccentric Driftwood neighborhood, the Oakdale Christmas House has been giving visitors a jolt of Christmas cheer for nearly half a century. Homeowner Ted Kresge and an army of volunteers started erecting the eye-popping installation in 1977; the Christmas House has been featured on HGTV and NBC’s iconic morning show Today, and now features well over half a million lights, as well as scenes and characters from pop culture, the Bible and assorted Christmas stories. Visitors line the streets with parked cars for blocks around to wander a roped-off path through the eclectic collection.
The display is updated every year. Admission is free, though donations are appreciated—the Christmas House’s electrical bill can run as high as $4,200 while it’s open.
This year, the Christmas House flipped its switch on Black Friday, and will remain lit up every night from 6 until 10 p.m. through Sunday, January 3. Take a look at our pictures below; if it isn’t already, perhaps you’ll consider making a visit one of your annual Tampa Bay holiday season traditions.
