For more than a year, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Gay Donnell Willis has been working with Dallas police, code, attorneys, and her council colleagues to address neighborhood disruptions tied to Halloween and Christmas displays at a single home in the 6200 block of Deloache Avenue in Preston Hollow.
Just before Christmas, a group of fed-up neighbors obtained a special event permit and privately funded extra Dallas police officers to restrict public access to the street on certain days and times.
For the first installment of our new interview series, “People of Interest,” I spoke with the council member at the center of a boiling neighborhood conflict over Christmas lights.
Give us the latest on what’s been happening on Deloache Avenue these past few weeks, including what you are hearing from area residents.
Residents of the 6200 block of Deloache reached out to me in September concerned that a commercial-grade Halloween display going up at the “viral Christmas lights” home would be promoted and draw crowds of literally thousands of people to their street, as the Christmas lights had the year before.
After last year’s chaotic experience, I asked city staff to explore ways to better manage any events that draw an extraordinary attendance to a residential street to preserve the peace any neighbor in our city deserves.
Councilmembers on the Quality of Life Committee asked for more information about neighborhood events in general, so Code staff created a survey for residents to share their experiences. That’s fine to gain general knowledge, but capturing small-scale events is quite different from what has been happening on Deloache for the past three months.
With viral social media promotion, this could happen in any neighborhood. It is “extraordinary” in terms of thousands of people coming to the middle of a block, trespassing through yards (Deloache does not have sidewalks), leaving litter behind (dirty diapers, pizza boxes, beer cans, etc.), berating neighbors who are asking to have their driveways cleared so they could enter or exit their own property—no one wants this.
The Dallas area is known for impressive Christmas displays. What makes this one different and more challenging from a neighborhood perspective?
There are beautiful holiday displays all over the Metroplex that neighbors and spectators enjoy in a way that’s respectful to others. Often times the neighbors are in on the fun—many decorate their homes in themes, or participate by giving out hot chocolate, etc. I’ve noticed that many of these neighborhoods have sidewalks, so there is a safe place for onlookers to gather and enjoy the displays that doesn’t block traffic or trample property.
The display on Deloache has been promoted by celebrities, domestic and international media, social media influencers and others, creating exponential momentum others have not had around visiting the street to see the display. The homeowner has also used social media to sow discord around the neighbors’ very legitimate concerns about the ability to access their homes and expect reasonable respect for their property.
There are laws already on the books that regulate noise, lighting, and other potential nuisances in residential neighborhoods. Do we really need new or updated laws to resolve challenges associated with this one house?
The noise, lighting and event promoter laws are not focused around a commercial grade event with viral promotion taking place in the middle of a neighborhood. So, since these neighbors are experiencing the negative secondary effects of a commercial holiday event, more typical of an entertainment-district location or theme park literally in their own yards, it suggests the city should examine ways to protect neighbors from something so out-of-the-norm from the nostalgic, traditional events that are enjoyed across our city on a regular basis. Bright, flashing strobe lights have no place in a neighborhood where parents are trying to tuck their children into bed.
You have been personally attacked by a handful of keyboard warriors in recent weeks. What do you say to those who have accused you of Grinch-like behavior?
There have been a variety of opinions on this, but I'm confident that a large majority of residents in and around the neighborhood have appreciated my efforts to find a solution to this. They have been begging the city to help. I will continue to work on finding a workable resolution to this issue in 2026.