There’s no place like his home for the holidays.
In 2014, John Russo told his girlfriend, Toni Alessio, that if and when he beat throat cancer, he’d celebrate with a grand Christmas display for their Paramus, New Jersey, neighborhood to enjoy.
He beat the disease the following year — and started a decorating tradition that has brought joy for Russo, Alessio and locals alike every year since.
“The most inspiring thing is seeing the faces of people watching the lights, especially the kids,” Russo told The Post. “It’s even better when they’re seeing it for the first time.”
This year, Russo’s tricked-out lawn celebration at 181 Lozier Court includes inflatable decor and lights set to a computerized, 40-minute, 15-song holiday playlist in an award-winning display that adds $200 to his monthly electric bill.
The light show even has set hours, which Russo shares with fans via a Facebook page, “Lights on Lozier Ct.” Russo flicks the switch on seven days a week, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
While putting up the show can be taxing for the 66-year-old, he said knowing the happiness it’ll bring makes the task far easier.
“As far as setting it up, it’s aggravating and fun at the same time — but well worth it in the end when it all works,” he said.
Indeed, the twinkling inspiration has been named one of the best private seasonal shows in North Jersey, and the local police department has even gotten involved to help this year. For the first time, visitors can donate to the department’s annual holiday toy drive via a dropbox placed outside Russo’s home.
“I think it’s a cool idea that the Russos are bringing Christmas to their neighborhood and that they want to enhance not only their neighbors’ holiday, but help support our toy drive by collecting toys for the less fortunate,” Paramus police Detective Lt. Jimmy Teehan told the Pascack Valley’s Daily Voice. “We’re excited that John wants to support our program in a new and exciting way.”
Russo’s favorite part of the “exciting” extravaganza? “Hearing kids screaming outside,” he told the Daily Voice, adding that he even gets uplifting feedback from them.
“I just wanted to say thank you for your light display. It is beautiful, and clearly took a lot of time,” one fan wrote Russo in a handwritten card after visiting his show with their parents and two children. “Thanks to your love of Christmas, my family was able to create a new memory.”
For non-Jersey residents looking to visit a lovingly built light show this holiday season, Brooklyn’s famed Dyker Heights awaits, as does the million-light display at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
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