Neighbors dread coming of 'Extreme Christmas'

PLANTATION ACRES, Fla., May 14 (UPI) -- Neighbors of a Florida home known for its extravagant holiday displays are calling on officials to head off this year's "Extreme Christmas" before it begins.

The "Hyatt Extreme Christmas," an annual display at the Plantation Acres home of Mark and Kathy Hyatt, typically does not begin its first stages until September. But City Councilman Bob Levy said several homeowners on the same cul-de-sac as the home have already contacted him about stopping this year's display, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday.

"The lights are blinding," Levy said. "The traffic from cars, the pedestrians ... are creating a real problem. There has to be something ... I just can't believe that our hands are totally tied."

The annual display includes about 200,000 lights, a 20-foot Ferris wheel ridden by stuffed animals, a 30-foot Christmas tree, human-sized gingerbread men, a 20-foot inflatable movie screen showing Disney films and a snow-blowing machine.

Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic said the feud between the Hyatts and their neighbors has been heating up in recent years.

"I've tried to be the peacemaker," the mayor said. "It's just not happening. It's like the Hatfields and the McCoys out there."

Kathy Hyatt called the mayor "a hater of Christmas."

"I don't know why she doesn't have better things to do with her time," Hyatt said. "I don't know why she doesn't embrace 'Hyatt Extreme Christmas.'"