Homeowner in Southern California Could Face Fines for His 'National Lampoon's' Style Christmas Decorations

Jeff Norton likes to decorate his home to pay homage to one of his favorite films, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

But the California homeowner was recently told to take down part of his Christmas display or potentially face fines.

Jeff says he finds solace in his tribute and has even won an award for it. 

"I tell you, so I lost my sister and my dad in the last 36 months," he said. "It's been horrible, but our family was this family. You know, my sister would come over completely unannounced… leave when she wanted."

This year, he went even further with his display by adding a second story to make it look more authentic to the movie. But town leaders aren't into it and have threatened fines. 

"The city is concerned the unpermitted second-story structure could potentially cause unintended injuries or property damage to members of the public if it were to become detached from the roof," La Mirada City Manager Jeff Boynton said in an email.

"There are no concerns with the other holiday decorations."

Norton, however, argues the decorations are safely secured to the roof and says they don't pose a danger to anyone. 

"I just don't believe we need to be taking this down," he said.

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