East Northport Teen's "Misfit Island" of repurposed Christmas decorations raises thousands for charity
Andrew Reid’s collection of colorful decorations, which he repairs and restores himself, has become a beloved holiday attraction in the neighborhood.
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At the end of Oxbow Court in East Northport, one can find 19-year-old Andrew Reid's island of misfit Christmas decorations.
"I go around, look for decorations that people throw away and I fix them up, repair them and then display them for everyone else to see," said Reid. Almost every inch of his house, front yard and driveway has a holiday light or decoration on it.
The teen says he sets this up all by himself. "They think I buy them. They're like, ‘Where'd you get that from?’ I'm like, ‘No, I made that,’” said Reid.
Reid says he spends all year long collecting and restoring broken Christmas decorations. And he says he also accepts drop-offs to add to his collection. "Inside fixing them all giving them custom noses. Each thing has its own little thing to it, its own little touch,” said Reid. In the four years doing his display, this is his biggest and brightest.
Reid says he's collecting donations from visitors this season and giving them to the Ronald McDonald House. "It's absolutely awesome.
A lot of hard work that went into this, you can tell,” said Michael Neumann, of East Northport. "I'm never really done because I always get more stuff that people throw away. So, when people ask me when I'm done, I'm like never,” said Reid. Reid's mother says her son has raised more than $10,000 for the charity in less than a month.
Reid’s display will be lit up every night, weather permitting, until mid-January. He welcomes visitors between 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
