San Diego couple brings North Pole to life

SAN DIEGO — Bringing the North Pole to San Diego starts on the roof in 80-degree weather.

“Here in San Diego on a nice wintery day, we’ve got the tree up,” joked Terry Dickson. “It’s time for the snowman.”

Dickson is the mastermind behind a huge tree of lights that can be seen from blocks away, as well as the other inflatable touches on his rooftop.

“It’s almost like flying a kite,” he said while setting up a giant snowman.  

His wife Priscilla Dickson tackles the decorating from the ground. Together, they have been going all-out decorating for Christmas for the last 15 years.

“It reminds us of our childhood,” Priscilla Dickson said. “All the Christmas movies I grew up with in the ‘60s and ‘70s, we just love it.”

The couple is well known in their University Heights neighborhood. They have bragging rights as the winner of Lights in the Heights, a contest to determine who in the neighborhood has the best holiday lights on display.

Terry and Priscilla Dickson spend weeks turning their home into a Christmas hub. With one side dedicated to the traditional, and the other side a tribute to the more modern parts of the holiday.

“It’s not about just Christmas. It’s about the season of giving and recognizing that there’s other people out there that need some joy in their life,” he said. “It’ll create some memory that they’re children and generations to come may appreciate. And that’s all that I strive for, is extending the spirit of happiness and giving.”

Priscilla Dickson calls her husband her “real-life Clark Griswald” and the couple said they have no plans to stop their hardcore Christmas decorating.