Residents of this Philadelphia block create neighborhood ‘magic’ every December

PHILADELPHIA — Theresa Ackerman begins plotting her holiday decorations a few weeks after the festivities end. Jan. 15, to be specific.

She lives on the 1600 block of South 13th St. in Philadelphia, which lights up like a constellation every December to celebrate the season.

A flashing “MERRY CHRISTMAS” sign welcomes visitors to “The Miracle on South 13th St.,” where residents gussy up their homes with lights, ornaments, figurines, inflatables, and other seasonal decor. Christmas tunes float through the air, drivers and tour buses crawl down the street so their passengers can take photos, and families, couples, and groups of friends wander the sidewalks to gawk.

When Ackerman and her husband Scott moved here 15 years ago, they merely hung wreaths on their windows. But they slowly embraced the spirit, putting up more and more decorations each year. Now they’ve graduated to lining their window frames with garlands, stringing up lights galore, and planting a mini-forest of flickering artificial trees in front of their home.

It takes almost two dozen bins to contain all their gear, they told PA Local. They’re not sure how much money they’ve spent over the years, but they’ve “received enough Christmas cards of photos people have taken in front of our house to make it worth it,” Scott told Spotlight PA.

The decoration process is so robust at this point that they’ve developed checks to contain it. “We write … our future selves notes and put them in the bins,” Theresa explained. “So you open the bins and it's, like, ‘Hello, future Theresa. This is past Theresa here to let you know that last year we bought 17 boxes of twinkle lights. Do not, I repeat do not, buy twinkle lights this year’ … this is a true story.”

The “Miracle on South 13th” block is located in one of Philadelphia’s densest areas. None of the over three dozen rowhomes on the block have front yards — just stoops and some sidewalk space — but residents make creative use of the available frontage. Participation in the tradition is optional, but most households do at least some decorating.

Asha Prihar / Spotlight PA

Some go for a more classic holiday or winter vibe, displaying giant nutcrackers, wreaths, glowy icicles, or inflatable snowmen. Others pay tribute to pop culture: Super Mario Bros., Harry Potter, and cult holiday movies Home Alone and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation are among the properties referenced when PA Local strolls the block in early December.

One home features tiny chairs surrounding a fake fireplace for kids to sit down, and a children’s book library. Another has a skeleton in a Santa hat chilling on its front steps, while a third boasts rainbow string lights, pink Christmas trees, and a unicorn.

The list goes on.

Residents have been serious about their Christmas decor for decades, said Alex D., one of the informal organizers of the annual display, who didn’t want his last name published for privacy reasons. He first moved to the block as a child in the 1990s and now lives there with his own family.

Alex estimated that a handful of residents kicked off the fervor around the early 2000s, and neighbors would bond around the holidays at a block potluck with a big pig roast. Over time, participation grew, and a slight competitive edge emerged as people began to make their displays brighter and brighter. Nowadays, neighbors are mainly trying to outdo themselves from year to year, Alex said.

As the tour buses and crowds indicate, the block has become a go-to December destination for folks beyond the neighborhood.

In addition to amassing glowing reviews on Google Maps and a follower count in the tens of thousands on social media, the street has landed on national lists of the country’s top public light displays. Locally, the tradition is so well known that it’s the first thing mentioned in a Zillow listing for a house for sale on the block.

Resident Anne Marie Scola, whose family has lived there for nearly 60 years, said it excites people when she tells them where she lives. "I'm like, ‘I live on Miracle on 13th Street!’ and they're like ‘Oh my God! That’s so awesome,'" she said. She loves seeing the smiles on people’s — especially children’s — faces when they visit the block in December.

The holiday spectacle takes a fair bit of coordination. Each neighbor plans their home’s trimmings, and some even start hanging decorations shortly after Halloween, Scola said. Some residents, like the Ackermans, like to tweak or add to their displays each year, while others completely overhaul their themes or decor every few years.

Asha Prihar / Spotlight PA

Organizers usually start meeting in the fall to plan a series of December events in which adults dress up as Christmas characters and collect donations for local charities. Each year’s festivities kick off with a big block party the weekend after Thanksgiving and households often invite family and friends over.

Anne Sosalski helped her mother, a longtime resident of the block, host 30 family members for the light display’s opening night this year.

“We weren’t together for Thanksgiving, but we’ll be together for this,” Sosalski said. “So that goes to show you how important this is to everybody.”

This collective decorating endeavor — and the related planning — has helped make the community tight-knit year-round, neighbors told Spotlight PA.

“Our magic,” Alex said, “is we get all these people — it doesn’t matter your background or whatnot — we just get together, have fun, and show off our block.”

The Miracle on South 13th Street light display — located between Tasker and Morris Streets in South Philadelphia — is open every night from 5 to 10 p.m. until Jan. 1. I’d recommend visiting on foot to fully appreciate the display.