It’s a fresh take on Minnesota holiday history. 

A Twin Cities man has recreated some of the iconic Dayton’s and Macy’s Christmas displays on his front porch in St. Paul and is inviting the public to take a stroll down memory lane.

What started as a hobby for John Pihaly a few years ago has grown to 30 animated figures set up in six make-shift windows along his front porch.

He bought some of the retro figurines from the old warehouse, painstakingly restored them and even had help from former Dayton’s employees on how to display them.

“A lot of research went into it. I wanted it to be as authentic to the old display as possible from the paint sheens to the speed of the motors, even down to the lighting they used,” he said.  

“Like so many Minnesotans, I was a kid there with my grandparents… and later in life, I had my own family down there. So it means a lot to me to bring this back,” Pihaly said.

Some nights, there have been as many as 450 visitors to the display. Click here for more information.