
Disney Characters Magically Take Over Home in Rome for the Holidays
Disney has taken over a home in Rome for the holidays.
In 2012 when James Mathy turned 14, he combined his love of art and Christmas to create a Disney dreamland on his grandparent's lawn for the holiday season. "Part of the reason it started was that my great grandfather worked at Trinkaus Manor in Oriskany and helped build the original displays that covered the lawn of the famous restaurant."
It started with just 4 handmade pieces - Snoopy decorating his dog house, Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch, and his dog Max. Mathy adds more each year and now has more than 100 characters from classic holiday and Disney movies. "I have the Peanuts, Rudolph, Mickey and Friends, Pooh and all his friends and Dumbo," said Mathy. "There is also a church with a 20-foot tall steeple, a Twas the Night Before Christmas house to recreate the beloved poem, a gingerbread house, and a cupcake house to complete the Candy Land Corner that is filled with lots of candy."
Each piece is hand-drawn, cut out, and painted. "Not a single piece, including the buildings, have plans or patterns," said Mathy, who begins setting up the Christmas Disney display on November first so he can have it ready to light up by Thanksgiving.
"The neighborhood absolutely loves it. I talk with a lot of people who come by every single year to see it and see what new pieces I added."
So what's new this year? Peterpan who flys above it all and Tinker Bell who is busy topping the tree with a Disney logo.
You can check out all the characters below or see them in person on Linden Street in Rome.