GAHANNA, Ohio — If National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation feels familiar — the lights, the chaos, the over-the-top decorations — there’s a real-life version playing out right here in central Ohio.
What You Need To Know
- Bob Eckstein has been decorating his Gahanna front lawn for 47 years, starting when his son was born, and it’s grown into a display with more than 150 pieces
- He does most of the work himself, spending about three weeks setting it up, and says it would cost around $30,000 to recreate something like it
- After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020 and told he had three months to live, Eckstein says he’s now cancer-free and plans to keep the tradition going because it “makes the whole city happy”
In Gahanna, Bob Eckstein has been turning his front lawn into a Christmas spectacle for more than four decades, and it all started with one simple idea.
“Oh, 47 years ago, when my son was born, I decided, ‘Hey, I’m gonna decorate Christmas outside so he can look out the window and see it.’ And I’ve been doing it ever since,” Eckstein said…