When Nathan and Malia Freeburg moved to Southeast Peacock Lane just before the holiday season, they didn't quite realize what they were getting into.

“We started researching, and it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like National Lampoon's,’” Nathan Freeburg said, referring to the 1989 movie “Christmas Vacation.”

Residents on Peacock Lane have been decorating their homes for Christmas with lights, wreaths and lawn ornaments since the 1920s and the street has become one of the most famous light displays in the city.

There aren’t any rules that require residents to decorate their homes, he said, but they didn’t want to be the one house that wasn’t decked out for Christmas. Plus, he said, it’s really fun.

“Unless you hate Christmas, or are a really uptight person, it’s really hard not to get swept up in the fun,” he said.

The couple moved from Minneapolis about three weeks ago, Malia Freeburg said. The street’s holiday tradition provided instant community, she said, and she’s excited about participating.

“It just feels like a magical street to live on,” she said.

A few houses north Henry Ernstrom surveys the light displays with a veteran eye. He and his wife have lived on Peacock Lane since 1951—longer than anyone else on the street, he said.

The 92-year-old can’t string lights around the house anymore, he said, so his son does it.

“There’s no law saying you have to do this,” he said, “but if you didn’t—well, you know how you’d feel.”

The Christmas lights tradition hasn’t really changed during his 62 years on the street, he said. Many of the decorations are passed down from owner to owner.

For Ernstrom, the lights are just a condition of living on the street. He loves the house, loves the park just up the street. If living there means putting lights up every year, he said, so be it.

“It’s fine if we do it, it would be fine if we didn’t,” he said with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

But it does matter to thousands of Portlanders each year. Residents say police have closed the street to vehicle traffic the last couple of nights because of crowds. Lights will be on display through Dec. 31.

-- Melissa Binder